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Executor: My new application launcher

I read about executor on lifehacker the other day. It’s a utility that enables you to launch programs using keyboard commands, such as “excel” for Excel. In the past, I’ve used Mike Lin’s MCL to do this. I’ve experimented with other launchers like Launchy, but I’ve found they’re too bloated and index way too many things. I usually just want to create a keyword that launches a specific shortcut. It needs to be fast and lean.

My main issue with MCL was that it was annoying to create keywords. Executor fixes that problem: you can either add shortcuts to a folder it scans, drag and drop shortcuts into its dialog box, or right-click a shortcut and hit “Send To…Executor.” Very handy. Plus, it has some great built in keywords. For instance, typing in “ip” will make your IP address appear in the bar, ready to be copy and pasted.

In terms of memory, it takes up less than 10 MB. Not as small as MCL, but acceptable.

© 2008 Ryan Pfister.