Quicksilver vs. Launchbar

[Slumbercub]

My 2 cents:

I tried QS a while ago and decided to try it again, then I heard about Launchbar as well (for some reason that had slipped under my radar)

Anyway, I tried both for a week or two and at first I was stunned by QS at what it could do, then I actually tried using it in anger and all I did was confuse it or it just took way too many keystrokes to do the same thing I had already done before with a mouse and operating system keys etc.. It didn't speed up my working at all, on the contrary, it actually slowed it down because I was having to think about how to talk to it to get what I wanted. It is meant to learn but it should be held back a grade because it learned slower than the rate of my frustration.

My efforts with Launchbar proved much more successful and although it doesn't do nearly as many things as QS it does what it does with much more elegance, it is certainly faster and it has speeded up my workflow which, after all, is the purpose of such sorcery.

They are still both fantastic applications and much kudos should be awarded to both sets of developers - try each of them and, like me, choose the one that suits your work style. It may be a good idea to keep a few QS tricks up your sleeve and show off in front of Windows users though!

 

[Project]

thanks, but that doesn't help me very much

Well you asked how do you move files in Quicksilver and I showed you.

Select the file you want in quicksilver, do the Move function, then choose where you want it to go.

If you want to rename, choose the file in Quicksilver, then do the Rename action.

It works like this for most of the Finders functionality (compress files, copy, paste, delete etc)

 

[Curren~Sea]

As a new mac user (< 6 mo), would it be advisable to learn qs? I am just getting used to the delivered functionality and don't want to muddy up the waters.

Also, is qs fully supported? Will it be around for future versions of os x?

 

[Nevrsadie]

I am also a new mac user, 3 months, and was wondering the same thing. I've had QS for about a month and a half and was just using it to launch apps and emails. Today after reading this thread I deceided to look up some tutorials. A quick search on youtube gave me three good tutorials and I learned a great deal. I started with this one, and then followed with v2 and v3. They are beginner to intermediate but have given me alot to learn and practice.

 

[epochblue]

I am also a new mac user, 3 months, and was wondering the same thing. I've had QS for about a month and a half and was just using it to launch apps and emails. Today after reading this thread I deceided to look up some tutorials. A quick search on youtube gave me three good tutorials and I learned a great deal. I started with this one, and then followed with v2 and v3. They are beginner to intermediate but have given me alot to learn and practice.

I find the trick to QS's more advanced features (beyond app and document launching) has more to do with repetition than anything else, really. However, once you devote the time, the payoff, IMO, is huge.

 

[slackpacker]

I love Quicksilver as well. I can't compare the two since I've never used Launchbar, but it would have to be really amazing to top Quicksilver.

QS is the swiss army knife of launchers... its big bulky and does everything.

But LaunchBar is quite a bit faster to user and uses less system resources... and it loads faster.

Both are great do similar things ... you guys that have no tried Launchbar may like it.

 

[72930]

QS is the swiss army knife of launchers... its big bulky and does everything.

But LaunchBar is quite a bit faster to user and uses less system resources... and it loads faster.

Both are great do similar things ... you guys that have no tried Launchbar may like it.

QS is very fast, and I use it because it doubles as an iTunes controller

 

[slackpacker]

I'm a longtime Launchbar user who also has also used Quicksilver extensively.

It can't be denied that QS is way more versatile than LB, thanks mainly due to its plugin architecture. Still, there are three main reasons why I still use LB.

1) Speed. LB is currently still much faster than QS. Not that QS is slow, it's just that LB is snappier. This is especially noticeable when switching from QS to LB.

2) LB is smarter. Something I use all the time but for which I can't seem to find a QS alternative is the automatic creation of smart folders. LB automatically creates smart folders for every document time it finds. This is so incredibly useful!

3) Trigger spotlight searches. Again, I do this all the time, and although QS can do this too, it is way more cumbersome than LB.

I agree.... so true.

 

[macsterdam]

QS seems to be fast enough for some people, which is just fine. However, currently LB is still a lot faster......

 

[SpiralOcean]

http://launchbarvsquicksilver.blogspot.com/

 

[72930]

I like the extended scripts in QS...shut down, empty trash etc...it really is brillopads!

 

[macsterdam]

I like the extended scripts in QS...shut down, empty trash etc...it really is brillopads!

Most of these are in LB as well, plus you can write your own with applescript!

 

[mcmadhatter]

I feel unproductive without quicksilver at work launchy is like drinking supermarket value low alcohol beer instead of stella. Not nearly as good but satisfies your fix until you get home LOL

 

[M@lew]

I decided to try LaunchBar for the past couple of days in order to see if it could really compare to Quicksilver. It's a launcher and it works, but there are just little features that really annoy me.

1) There's always a Dock icon...that's just self-explanatory. Why not at least have a Menubar only mode?

2) Once you open it using the hot key, you can't switch back to the application you were just at previously. You can go ctrl+space and keep pressing it, cycling though every application you have open until you get back to your original one, but that's just a big hassle.

3) No backspace. If I make a mistake when typing a string in LaunchBar I have to wait for it to "time out" my search before I can begin another one. In Quicksilver all I do is press backspace and I can start again.

So after a two days of trying out LaunchBar, I decided to use it for one useful thing. Launching Quicksilver.

 

[jakdominance]

sorry bout pulling this from the grave, but...

I have to say one of the most used things for me is keychain passwords. I never have to type my pw ever, which also helps keep safe against keyloggers. also just discovered websearch module, and it looks amazing.

aslo, anyone tried the slideshow mod? doesn't seem to work...

 

[pendolino]

* how about a site/wiki where QS/LB can be compared side by side with ideas on how to migrate from one to the other for those that choose to.
* any chance google quick search box (QSB) by Alcor could fill the quicksilver development void eventually?