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How do you describe Quicksilver?

Acting without doing SOUNDS good, but... (Ask MetaFilter)

I really liked this AskMe question about Quicksilver, since it's one that comes up a lot for folks who don't get as enthused about the app as I (and many of you) do:

Everywhere I go on the internet, Mac users rave about Quicksilver. I've downloaded it a couple times, and I sort of get that it COULD be really useful, but I am not sure how...

So what am I missing with Quicksilver? I see so many other people who get a lot of use out of it, and I am sure I can fit it in somewhere, too, but I just can't seem to figure it out....

Here's a portion of how I responded in comments:

Quicksilver provides access to almost any kind of stuff in your Mac's and your world -- contact information, bookmarks, files, Applications, system settings, and pretty much anything else -- and it lets you leap to any of these things by typing a few letters of the name (NB: Spotlight is more about contents and QS is more about names; they're complementary, not competing). So, that's the neato, Day 0 stuff.

But the big sexy comes with how QS understands the potential verbal relationships between any of those objects, then gives you a single keyboard interface for making amazing things happen...

I'll admit that it always makes me realize what a fanboy I am whenever I try to explain Quicksilver, but, truthfully, it is kind of challenging.

How do you describe Quicksilver to folks who don’t get all the fuss? How do you relate the sexiness?

Vincent van Wylick's picture

Quicksilver = launch spotlight results with a keyboard shortcut

Instead of searching for "Mail," create a trigger with the keyboard, e.g. Command + M and save yourself the time searching for it and pressing 'enter.' But you all knew this of course...

Everything else, inserting text in text-files, sending mails, etc., I don't use to be honest. And that is the part which is probably the hardest to describe, because it's so abstract. Huh, inserting text into a file without opening it? What?

I'm a fan of starting simple. Explain Spotlight. Explain triggers. And hey, once you get that and feel comfortable with it, you can do other cool stuff too.

 
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