All of you Windows users will be happy to know that a sliver of OS X excellence is now available for your dull gray boxes. The application is called Launchy and it is an open source Windows only tool that mimics the “Application Launcher” functionality of OS X’s Spotlight search engine. Using only a few keystrokes, you can launch your Applications without searching through the Start menu.To start Launchy, once it is already running in the background, type the alt-space keystroke (Similar to OS X’s command-space keystroke). A small window appears in the middle of the screen and by simply typing in what you want, you can launch that particular application.
The great thing about Launchy, similar to Spotlight, is the more you use the application, the smarter it gets at guessing what you are trying to launch. For instance after a few launches of a program, simply typing in the first letter or two will suffice. After only launching Internet Explorer once, I was able to type “IE” as the argument. Launchy gives you live feedback on the application it thinks you want to launch so there is no guessing when you hit enter.
Launchy is not only limited to launching applications. You can perform google searches by typing [Google-Tab-Keyword] or you can simple enter the URL of a desired website. Furthermore Launchy also allows you to check the weather by typing [Weather-Tab-Zip/City,ST]. Launchy can also be configured to search files and contents, making it more like Spotlight.
In conclusion, Launchy is a must have application especially if you have lots of applications on your computer. If you are like most people I know, you don’t know (or don’t care) how to organize the Start Menu program list using folder/sub folders, Launchy is definitely for you.
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