Another free software recommendation courtesy of Lifehacker. Launchy is a launcher app for Windows. You can think of it as an alternative to using your start menu or desktop icons. I don’t know about you, but my start menu keeps growing larger and larger. I try to control this and organize it into a folder structure. But then I end up with lots of subfolders. Launchy aims to help to solve all of this.
Launchy runs in the background and is brought up by hitting a hot key (the default is alt-space). You then begin to type in the name of the app you’d like to launch. Launchy then displays the app it thinks you want to launch. If multiple apps match the string you typed, it will display a drop down list. Once the app you want is selected, you just hit enter and Launchy launches the app. This may sound like a lot of work but it is very quick. This keeps your hands on the keyboard (where mine usually are). Also, I find that most of the time I only have to type 3-4 letters before the app I want is selected.
Launchy has some other nice features as well. You can specify directories you want it to index. You can then start typing in file names and it will show files from the indexed directory that match your string. Similar to what Google Desktop offers, but smaller. Simple calculator functions are also built in. Type in 50/6 and the result is shown immediately. No need to launch a calculator app. You can also initiate web searches, browse your file system, kick off custom scripts, index your bookmarks, and more. I highly suggest you check it out.
“This may sound like a lot of work but it is very quick. This keeps your hands on the keyboard (where mine usually are).”
Puh-lease! We know you are the best one-handed typist west of the Mississippi!
Does that title come with a tiara and sash?