Spotlight's Gone!....finally

[stcanard]

and it's just silly that Apple doesn't give you the option to default to the #1 choice.

Just for a lark, next time you use spotlight, try command-enter and see what it does

 

[GimmeSlack12]

But Spotlight is worth it for its ability to search email alone!

You can use a search in Mail, or Entourage easily enough to find a particular email.

This thread will probably go on forever, but I am glad to have Spotlight turned off for good (and the icon gone). I used Spotlight a lot and that is what lead me to Quicksilver, but now what I use QS I have found that searching my whole HD is not as important as I had originally thought.

Spotlight=System Wide Search (fast)
Quicksilver=What you want searched (faster)

 

[OldCorpse]

Yep, put me down as another Spotlight disser/hater. The idea itself is not bad, but the implementation is atrocious. First, it is indeed buggy... just like many users report, Spotlight simply cannot find files which should be easy for it to do. Really, it's so bad at this, that I just quit using it. Then, on rare occasions I go ahead and use it again, I want to dig out a file quickly, and sure enough the POS can't find it. Then I have to use the finder (another broken app) to actually bring out the file. Not to mention the extremely annoying fact that Soptlight doesn't bother to list various system files. And when it actually lists the file, well, it's a bitch to actually see the path to where the file is located... you have to hover your mouse over it, and a tooltip briefly displays the info in tiny print... bleh! Why can't there be an option to show the path without this grotesquely anti-ergonomic work-around? Awful.

Luckily, I don't much need Spotlight - I'm pretty organized and don't tend to lose files etc. Yes, it would be great if one could use it to access a file quickly, but again, it's so buggy, using it is not worth the aggravation.

As far as I'm concerned this is alpha level implementation of an idea. Apple better make HUGE improvements to Spotlight in Leopard - and I mean by 200%-300%, or I want it off my system. Right now, it's a useless POS.

 

[dsnort]

I am not highly organised. I am highly disorganised! I could not live without Spotlight, although I do admit it seems a little buggy at times. I have noticed that it does not search email on third party apps, (ie CRMs). Has anyone else seen this?

 

[dextertangocci]

What was the point of disabling it? If you don't want to use it, just don't, but if you want to find something very quickly, you could just use spotlight

I am also extremely organised, but I don't want to open hundreds of folders just to open a document I created 2 years ago

Spotlight is also a great app launcher

 

[GimmeSlack12]

Grrrr..... After disabling Spotlight, something that I never use, I find a use for it.

It is turned back on now, I hope you're all happy!

 

[stcanard]

Last word on this from me

You can use a search in Mail, or Entourage easily enough to find a particular email.

Ever notice how Mail's searching abilities inmproved dramatically with Tiger? When you use "search" in Mail, you are using spotlight.

Find in almost all the Apple apps is based on spotlight, so they don't have to reinvent the wheel all the time.

Take control of your correspondence with Mac OS X Tiger Mail 2, now featuring Spotlight search technology. Find email instantly and accurately, organize messages using Smart Folders and share, save or view emailed images easily.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/mail/

I think a huge part of the misunderstanding with people who claim spotlight is bad, is they associate spotlight as being what you get when you click the blue spyslass on the right side of the menu bar, and don't realize all the other searching is also spotlight based.

For a true look into what can (and hopefully in Leopard will) be done with spotlight, go to the terminal and man mdfind.

Spotlight=System Wide Search (fast)
Quicksilver=What you want searched (faster)

You search differently than me then. The searches for which I use spotlight, Quicksilver will not find items under the same terms (mostly on content).

It is turned back on now, I hope you're all happy!

Very

 

[stcanard]

Last, last, word...

It just ocurred to me that as a database architect, my mind is very well organized to searching large, unordered, sets of data to find the item I want.

Maybe that's why spotlight is so useful to me.

 

[Soulstorm]

I use spotlight a lot. I couldn't imagine myself not using it on Tiger. Probably the best feature of Tiger, IMO.

 

[uaaerospace]

Spotlight is like so many OS X features. When Expose was first announced, I thought to myself, how would I ever use that? Now, when I'm using a machine without it, I realize just how much I have come to rely on it. Spotlight is the same way. I am fairly organized, but even if I know where a file is located, I can find it faster with Spotlight. It has never failed to find a file that I have searched for. Granted sometimes it has taken me a few tries at the search criteria, but that's my fault. I can't expect any search program to find a file unless I actually give it something accurate on which to base its search.

My point is that you should try a feature before saying it's rubbish. Try to find some hidden shortcuts/features (like the one I mention below) that may solve some of the problems you think it has. I have been using OS X since the day it was released, however I still learn new and useful shortcuts/tricks all the time.

For those of you complaining about how Apple didn't build in a way to select the top hit (previously mentioned I think), try command-enter to select the top hit without using the arrow keys.

 

[Blue Velvet]

For me, Spotlight isn't usually about finding files... it's the ability to search within text documents, PDFs, emails and the like for keywords. Can pull up all sorts of old phone numbers, contacts and other data so easily now.

Anyone who thinks this is eye-candy is missing the point entirely.

 

[Platform]

For me, Spotlight isn't usually about finding files... it's the ability to search within text documents, PDFs, emails and the like for keywords. Can pull up all sorts of old phone numbers, contacts and other data so easily now.

Anyone who thinks this is eye-candy is missing the point entirely.

Agree, greate for documents and email content.

I use it as an app launcher too