Windows Launcher by Only One Key

[Sorryformyen]

Hi,

Does anyone develop or know any launcher for Windows that is as similar as possible to the SiteLauncher add-on for Firefox and Google Chrome browsers?

Since I don't want to launch websites but folders, files and applications, what I found closest to now was Madproton's MaxLauncher, but unfortunately it has a limited number of keys and little visual customization.

Besides, I was hoping for something like this...

[BGM]

What about Open-Shell?  It transforms the Windows Start Menu and makes it quite useful.  I'm actually using it as my launcher.  Open-Shell is the newest version of Classic Shell.

I used to use a-suite, which does a nice job.

However, those are menu-based launchers, not tile-based like what you are showing.  Personally, I like menu-based launchers because you can easily find things and don't have to scan a thousand squares.

[wraith808]

I think in the implementation that he's showing you remember the key for the item.  Still seems like a lot to me.

[4wd]

Possibly something like Program Picker from Bond Interface Design?

Unfortunately the website seems to be defunct but maybe you can find a contact somewhere.

Internet Archive

[Sorryformyen]

BGM,
I've been using ClassicShell for about 8 years and I just haven't upgraded to OpenShell yet out of sheer laziness. In addition, ClassicShell works incredibly well for my needs. In any case, menus do not serve the true quick launch function. I use them only when I need to search the computer's content faster than if I wanted to go through the folder path. With real launchers, the initial visual mess goes over time giving way to memorizing where things are without many clicks or with as little as possible.

wraith808,
That's what I thought when I started using SiteLauncher in 2009, since then I need to keep adapting the code to each version of the browser

4wd,
This seems to have more functions than I would be able to use in one lifetime, less a very important function for me: visual customization, or at least as far as I could see.

Thank you all for the feedback!

[4wd]

Website has returned, wasn't alive earlier: The Bond Interface

... less a very important function for me: visual customization, or at least as far as I could see.

-Sorryformyen (February 16, 2020, 07:30 PM)

Send him an email, maybe he can help ... the program can be trialled for 90 days, maybe it will grow on you

[rjbull]

Website has returned, wasn't alive earlier: The Bond Interface

-4wd (February 16, 2020, 09:52 PM)

Still on 25% off offer at Bits du Jour

Possible freeware alternative:  Qsel by Horst Schaeffer.

[wraith808]

It's funny- malwarebytes blocks that Qsel site, but virustotal shows it as clean from malwarebytes

[rjbull]

It's funny- malwarebytes blocks that Qsel site, but virustotal shows it as clean from malwarebytes

-wraith808 (February 25, 2020, 05:02 PM)

I reported both the false positive, and your post, to Malwarebytes.  They replied the block would be removed in the next database update, but didn't comment on the odd VirusTotal result.

[mbaas]

Website has returned, wasn't alive earlier: The Bond Interface

... less a very important function for me: visual customization, or at least as far as I could see.

-Sorryformyen (February 16, 2020, 07:30 PM)

Send him an email, maybe he can help ... the program can be trialled for 90 days, maybe it will grow on you

-4wd (February 16, 2020, 09:52 PM)

4wd, thanks for that suggestion! I downloaded it and used it for a day - really liked it. The next day it stopped working ( I finally got to the err-msg which is about not being able to access a StartMenu-Folder. Opened a support-ticket (yesterday), no reply yet. Did you get any response to your email?

[4wd]

Did you get any response to your email?

-mbaas (February 29, 2020, 05:36 AM)

Email? What email?

I was suggesting the OP email the company w.r.t. his visual customisation question.

[mbaas]

Oh sorry, I misunderstood (not a native english reader) - thought you had sent an email!

[mbaas]

Still got no response from Bond Interface (which I really liked, but it stopped running - so I really needed some support), so I went up in the thread and looked at  MaxLauncher. BI has some interesting features like controlling Window-layouts, virtually unlimited shortcuts etc. - but MaxLauncher is a nice & robust tool which does it's job (lauch apps via kbd) very well (and even though it is freeware, support is infinitely better than the commercial BI!). Guess I'll stay with that

[IainB]

Confuzzling and curious:   
One wonders whether there is some reason to conclude from this that the purpose of the OP (by @Sorryformyen) might have simply been to advertise MaxLauncher - of which @mbaas says:

Still got no response from Bond Interface (which I really liked, but it stopped running - so I really needed some support), so I went up in the thread and looked at  MaxLauncher. BI has some interesting features like controlling Window-layouts, virtually unlimited shortcuts etc. - but MaxLauncher is a nice & robust tool which does it's job (lauch apps via kbd) very well (and even though it is freeware, support is infinitely better than the commercial BI!). Guess I'll stay with that

-mbaas (March 07, 2020, 03:11 AM)

I suppose it may have otherwise been coincidental that the discussion seemed to have come full circle in recommending (per a second ID) that which seemed to have apparently been rejected in the OP (by the first ID).

I suppose stranger things have happened at sea.

[flamerz]

I use elgato stream deck as launcher. It handles some buttons for macros too.

[mbaas]

I suppose it may have otherwise been coincidental that the discussion seemed to have come full circle in recommending (per a second ID) that which seemed to have apparently been rejected in the OP (by the first ID).

-IainB (March 07, 2020, 08:19 AM)

I guess such things happen. Initially, I was turned away from ML because of the negative comments and also BI seemed to offer far more space for launch-items (and I also liked its approach to just pick running tasks) etc. - but all that is worth nothing when the app refuses to work and support is MIA.

Using the word "advertise" seems to imply some commercial intentions - so maybe it's worth mentioning that ML is freeware...and I have no affiliations with the author. The sole purpose of my post was to possibly help others looking for a useable launcher by providing feedback about my journey (which also involved spending a bit of time on Google...only to finally end up with the initial recommendation...)

[Sorryformyen]

I'm really using MaxLauncher in the absence of something like the one suggested in my original post. However, the fact that its keys are fixed makes visual agility and customization limited.

I am grateful for the other suggestions, they are very interesting and arouse some unexpected ideas, but they will certainly be useful for those who have preferences different from mine. I'm following with MaxLauncher now, still encountering some problem with performance, the launcher doesn't appear whenever requested. But this is what is there for now.

I really hope that the developer of the SiteLauncher addon will take a look here or someone who can emulate it on the desktop ... even if it looks like something it shouldn't look like