Launchy

One of the things that annoy most people when using a computer is when they have to go look for a program they installed somewhere in the computer but either have no idea where it is or it's on a place where you have to open multiple pastes just to go there.

For those who constantly have to use certain programs and documents, Launchy is the perfect program since it not only opens applications and documents with just a few keystrokes but it even comes with other functions like issuing CMD commands, open web pages and perform basic mathematic operations without needing to load any extras.

With this app, you only need to enter the first few letters of the program and it will display the name of the program and if the first option isn't the one you want, then a few seconds after it appears, it will display a drop-down list with all the other alternatives.

As far as the interface is concerned, Launchy is surprisingly customizable as you can customize almost everything in it from window positioning to it's visual effects allowing one to adapt it to ones needs.

It even comes with extra plugins one can install form the authors website that increase the number of things Launchy can perform meaning advanced users will be able to add whatever else they wish while the basic package is enough for beginners.

In short, this simple and easy-to-use tool is a very good alternative to the regular windows Start menu and may eventually even completely replace it as your primary application so give it a try if you think the Windows Start menu or explorer isn't enough for you.

Rating: 5/5

http://www.launchy.net/