Time, Attention, and Creative Work. After 4 years and a lot of productivity pr0n, we’re shifting gears. Re-learn how to use 43 Folders. Then back to work. [»]
”What’s 43 Folders?”
43Folders.com is Merlin Mann’s website about finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.
Quicksilver's Back; Nerd Hope Cautiously Restored
Merlin Mann | Jul 8 2008
New Quicksilver builds | Hawk Wings
Since going open source late last year, things have seemed pretty quiet in the world of our favorite app launcher, Quicksilver. Today, our pal, Tim Gaden of Hawk Wings, posts on the availability of a bug fix release of Quicksilver that’s come out in the last few weeks. He also points to a thread on the QS Google Group that suggests Quicksilver’s auteur and flippered mystery bot, A1c0r, is currently hard at work on a substantial rewrite.
The post by user Patrick also refers to a separate, similarly numbered “Ankur’s cleaned-up QS version,” which refers to the work Ankur Kothari has been doing primarily to reduce the weight of Quicksilver’s code. These have been white knuckle months for me (and a lot of other Quicksilver nerds), dreading the inevitable OS X update that might break the aging Quicksilver build we’ve been using. This all seems like encouraging news — although you have to hope at some point the different folks working on improvements will be able to consolidate their efforts into one big, happy, branch. As far as the actual update, I installed it this morning without incident, and, notwithstanding the handful of known issues enumerated by Patrick’s post, it seems to be running fine so far. That said, this is a great chance to remind you of the fantastic rooSwitch application — an indispensable OS X utility that lets you create multiple profiles which save separate versions of app settings and data in situ. Translation: if you accidentally break something important, it’s really easy to roll back to a setup that will still work. rooSwitch is also super-useful for application testers and demonstrators who want to protect their “real” data while being able to test new functionality or do a demo with “fake” data. It’s become my step 0 whenever I want to play with potentially unstable apps, and I do highly recommend using it with your inevitable Quicksilver experiments. Screengrabs to give you the rooSwitch flavor:
18 Comments
POSTED IN:
 Be wary....Submitted by guiltpop on July 8, 2008 - 11:47am.
This update broke quicksilver for me…..arrrghh… »
Re: Quicksilver's Back; Nerd Hope Cautiously RestoredSubmitted by birdmanx35 on July 8, 2008 - 12:55pm.
Same here, this broke quicksilver for me. Can’t type properly anymore. »
Menu Items trigger?Submitted by AquaMethod on July 8, 2008 - 1:09pm.
Hey Merlin, do you know if this build fixes the “Show Menu Items” trigger that you covered on 43f a while back? I became absolutely addicted to it in Tiger, and it’s the feature I miss most in Leopard (besides working application scopes, that is). »
Already switchedSubmitted by beelers on July 8, 2008 - 1:17pm.
When I heard the drain gurgling after alcor started yanking the plug so many months ago I made the jump to Launchbar. It’s not as good as Quicksilver in some cases and better in some others. I may give Quicksilver another try, but it’s hard for me to devote my time to an app standing on a slippery rug. »
 Staying the course with LaunchBarSubmitted by iwparker on July 8, 2008 - 1:25pm.
I, too, switched to LaunchBar (http://www.obdev.at/products/launchbar/index.html) about half a year ago. I was starting to encounter a lot of flakiness with Quicksilver and was tiring of restarting it or having it bomb entirely. It’s not productive if it does not stay running, right? Mind you, I loved Quicksilver. I am hoping that the rewrite brings it back to the “no crash zone”. I have used rooSwitch for over a year now, and that is one fine little app that I discovered on MacZOT! by accident. I’m glad I did. I use it to manage apps with not only multiple configurations, but also with some different test databases and data sets. Very handy. I suppose I’ll give Quicksilver another look-see when I get some free time. »
Better late than never?Submitted by Nate on July 8, 2008 - 1:55pm.
I too switched to LaunchBar after it kept crashing. Alcor himself recommended it. Although I loved Quicksilver, now all my shortcuts and muscle memory are with LaunchBar and I don’t think I’ll switch back. »
too lateSubmitted by Mashedspud on July 8, 2008 - 11:05pm.
Quicksilver might be on the mend but it is too late. I’m currently using launchber. »
Quicksilver still plays on a larger user baseSubmitted by edragonu on July 9, 2008 - 1:21am.
I don’t know how accurate these statistics are, but glimpsing at wakoopa data you may see that Quicksilver has been used by 1764 people while Launchbar by only 85. http://wakoopa.com/search?query=quicksilver&os=mac I know these are just estimates and we can only deduct some rough percentage of the “market penetration”. I don’t advocate any of the apps, although I am a Quicksilver fan, just pointing that the new release might make a lot of people happier… »
 Re: Quicksilver's Back; Nerd Hope Cautiously RestoredSubmitted by Vincent van Wylick on July 9, 2008 - 1:29am.
I have to concur with the rest of these commentators, it didn’t work for me either. That said, it’s clearly at the alpha stage and as such should be treated with extreme caution. Downgrading to the version on blacktree.com fixes the problem. »
Oh sweet merciful A1c0r.Submitted by Arubis on July 9, 2008 - 6:05am.
I never gave up on Quicksilver; not for LaunchBar — not for the improved-in-Leopard Spotlight. The crashes and CPU-hoggery while rescanning are frustrating at best, but those same crashes remind me of just how dependent I am: when QS dies, I’ll freeze up too…………..and will stare at my screen for 30-60 seconds just trying to remember just how to use it without my precious Opt+Space. Yes, yes, I know: nerrrrrrrd. Say what you will, but I can’t fathom a Mac without Quicksilver. Thanks for pointing to a life-affirming update, Merlin. »
About Merlin Mann Bio Merlin Mann is an independent writer, speaker, and broadcaster. He’s best known for being the guy who started the website you’re reading right now. He lives in San Francisco, does lots of public speaking, and helps make cool things like You Look Nice Today. Also? He looks like this, answers questions, and has something like a life. Merlin’s favorite thing he’s written recently is a short essay called, “Better.” |
|
| EXPLORE 43Folders | THE GOOD STUFF |
Popular |
|
Inbox ZeroThe original 43 Folders series looking at the skills, tools, and attitude needed to empty your email inbox — and then keep it that way. Don’t miss the free video of Merlin’s Inbox Zero presentation. Making Time3-part series on attention management for artists and makers. Read Bad Correspondence, The Job You Think You Have, and One Clear Line. |
43 Folders is powered by Drupal, which rules. Our site was designed by a bearded fella from Wire and Twine and has been lovingly skinned for Drupal by the code ninjas at RoopleTheme. Ben Durbin is the sine qua non and our personal consigliere. 43f’s web hosting is sponsored by A2.
43 Folders® is a registered trademark of Merlin Mann. All posts and comments © their original owners. Everything else (including the design) is © Merlin Mann, 2004-2008. Merlin’s posts can be reused or republished solely in accordance with the BY-NC-ND Creative Commons License. Please don’t be a douche with my stuff. Here’s our Legal and Ground Rules. 43 Folders loves you. Namasté.
