Launch programs instantly with Launchy
Launchy is a free and open source keystroke launcher for Windows and Linux that will allow you to launch a program just by typing the first letters of its name.
After using Windows or Linux for a few months, it’s impossible that you haven’t installed different programs for fulfilling your needs like office suites, audio/video editing tools, instant messaging software, games and so on. Your desktop or Start menu may be cluttered with shortcuts to your applications. This is where Launchy steps in.
The program runs in the background and when you need to use it, simply press Alt+Spacebar. Simply type the first letters and Launchy will “guess” the programs you’re trying to open. Instead of browsing to your application’s executable, this process is very quick (alsmost instant) and will save you a lot of time.
Launchy screenshot
How does Launchy know how to complete the program name? Easy: from the Windows Start menu. What if you have applications that didn’t require installation? No problem. You can add new directories where you have those executables (.exe) and Launchy will also index them.
The application’s shortcut keys can be modified, if you’re not happy with Alt+Spacebar. You can choose from a variety of skins and plugins or add your own via the Plugins tab in Launchy options.
What I like about this freeware is that you can use Google’s calculator, search on Wikipedia or YouTube right from it’s interface. For example, type gcalc, then press Tab and input your expression. You can also find out the speed of light like I did below:
Launchy GCalc screenshot
Pros & Cons
very fast, easy to use
open source (thus 100% safe)
not available for Vista
The download is about 4MB. Available for Windows 2000/XP and Linux operating systems.
Download linkDownload Launchy
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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