Have you ever used Quicksilver on a Mac? Or maybe GnomeDo on a Linux system? If not, then I will explain what these programs do. They are programs that allow you to search for files/folders and even execute programs by just typing the name of that program. Type in ‘Firefox’ and it will allow you to open your website. Type in a song file name and it will allow you to play song in a media player.

Launchy is essentially the cousin of the above programs. Only this cousin runs Windows (although Launchy does have a Linux version too). Launchy runs in the background of your system and only appears (or disappears) when you press ‘alt-space’. The dialog box will open and allow you to search for the application/file/folder that you are looking for.

thanks to CNET for the above image

You may ask, why on earth would you need something like this? The simple answer is that it’s an easy, more efficient way of finding things on your computer. The Windows search function is put to shame when up against Launchy. You can launch applications, so that means your desktop space won’t need to be cluttered anymore. Even the start bar will become useless to you.

TIP: To search for something on Google just using Launchy, type in ‘Google’ then press TAB and then type what you’re searching for.

Here is the CNET video review of Launchy:

For the CNET editor and user reviews, click here.

To download Launchy click here.

For some cool tips and tricks when using Launcy, click here.

If you switch from Windows or Linux to Mac, one of the things you will notice is Mac OS X doesn’t have a utility to help uninstall applications. To try and make things simple, Apple didn’t include an uninstaller, instead all you have to do is delete the application files. The only problem with this is as applications began to get more complex, not all the files were located in the same place. Sure you can try and manually search for the files but there’s no way you’ll find all of them.

If you don’t like deleting only some of the application files, you should give AppCleaner a try. AppCleaner is a FREE program designed to find and delete all the files associated with an application. Below is a screenshot of the program in action.

Of course there are lots of other programs that will help you uninstall your applications. However, there are a few reasons I use AppCleaner instead of those other programs. First off, AppCleaner is completely FREE. There isn’t a free version and a paid version, or some crappy trial version, just the real thing. Secondly, the interface is clean and simple. All you have to do is drag and drop the application you want to remove and your done.

AppCleaner is even smart enough to recognize when you place an application in the Trash Bin and it will then offer to properly delete it. AppCleaner will uninstall more than just applications, including widgets and preference panes. Lastly, AppCleaner can protect your most important applications from being deleted. And of course a list of all deleted applications are kept in a log file so you can look back at what you’ve successfully uninstalled.

I decided to come up with a poll in the hope to provoke some comments. I want your opinions!

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I’ll start:

I am an Ubuntu user. I have used Mandriva and OpenSUSE before but decided on Ubuntu in the end. The biggest thing I like is the community. I can find out how to do anything because there is such a big community of users. I managed to get things done a lot faster as an Ubuntu beginner than I managed with either Mandriva or OpenSUSE before.

I would have to say Ubuntu is a great beginner Linux distro. The ’safe’ choice. It’s also nice because I know it’s going to work for me day in and day out. If you are someone who loves to delve into the mysteries of computer systems then you will probably find another distro more appealing, but for now I will be sticking with Ubuntu.

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I will also say that I am a GNOME user. I tried KDE first and disliked it so much that GNOME was such a breath of fresh air. I have not used any other environment I’m sorry to say, but may be willing to try if you persuade me in the comments.