Publisher's Description
From Many Tricks:
What is Butler?
A file launcher.
You can access applications and any other kind of document by browsing fully customizable system-wide spring-loaded menus, pressing hot keys, clicking hot corners, or entering abbreviations. Butler will learn from your habits and remember what you want a certain abbreviation to do (e.g., enter "abo" to launch "Address Book").
A bookmark manager.
Butler offers you a way to manage your bookmarks without depending on a certain browser. In contrary to a browser's bookmark collection, Butler's bookmarks are always accessible through its system-wide menus, hot keys, etc. And you'll certainly become addicted to accessing bookmarks by entering abbreviations. Butler also lets you access the bookmarks of every single browser there is for Mac OS X.
Adding files or URLs from your browser to Butler's configuration is stunningly easy: Just drag them to the active screen corner (default: top left), see Butler's main window open, and drop your items somewhere whithin your configuration.
A web search utility.
Butler's predecessor "Another Launcher" was the first application that let you search the web from the menu bar. But if your menu bar is too crowded for an input field, you can also use hot keys to pop up dedicated web search windows. Butler supports a large number of search engines by default, but you are not restricted to those ? you can easily add your own search engines.
A pasteboard extension.
Butler lets you access items you have previously stored in your pasteboard, effectively turning your pasteboard into a stack. You can also take a snapshot of your current pasteboard and keep it for good. This feature is particularly useful for text snippets you need to enter on a regular basis.
And so much more...
You can use Butler to move and copy files, control iTunes, access the system preferences, change the current user, and so on. But Butler really shines when it comes to customizing its behavior. Is your menu bar too crowded? Use Butler's docklet! Do you want a menu for each mounted volume? Do you want a menu to pop up when you press a certain hot key? Do you want all running applications in your menu bar? Or do you prefer doing things with your keyboard only? Whatever kind of interface you prefer, Butler is at your service.
What's new in this version:
- Fixed a bug that caused Butler to crash when ejecting a volume via the Volumes smart item. (Hat tip to Hendrik D.)
- Fixed an issue related to running web searches from the abbreviations window. (Hat tip to Richard R.)
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All versions:
4.9 starsout of 9 votes
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Current version:
0 stars Be the first to review this product -
My rating:
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"After all those years ? still my most used utility."
Version: Butler 4.1.10
Pros
Easy to use, responsive developer, dirt cheap
Cons
Been a long hiatus, but-see bottom line summary!
Summary
After a long hiatus, Many Tricks is back on track-and updating Butler! Best news in a looooooong time!
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"indispensable"
Version: Butler 4.1.9
Pros
essential part of the operating system
Cons
none .
Summary
Use it every hour of every day.
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"Great product. Well supported."
Version: Butler 4.1.8
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Thanks for the ongoing support of Butler 4 even with Butler 5 coming up. Looking forward to the fall! -
"Very very disappointed by the developer's subterfuge"
Version: Butler 4.1.7
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
It is sad when a developer chooses not to be up front and transparent about their software.
Butler was one of my favorites and I always heartily recommended it among my list of the best of the best freeware out there.
Sadly, it is apparent that I was wrong.
Forgetting to update VersionTracker from freeware status to shareware is really not excusable. It is not something one just forgets to do. When one makes a conscious choice to change horses mid-race and switch to a revenue generating model, it simply is not possible to just forget.
This is a deliberate omission in order to bait and switch. As a long-time loyal user who believed in this altruistic software, I am epically disappointed by this subterfuge.
FYI, the old genuinely free version works absolutely perfectly fine. I suggest others continue to use it in the spirit it was originally developed. -
"Excellent little tool"
Version: Butler 4.1.6
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Does what it says, very handily. -
"Indispensable"
Version: Butler 4.1.5 Transient
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Wonderful range of features- excellent clipboard, Google in the menubar, better Spotlight searcher, all the features of FruitMenu or the old OS9 Apple menu, immediate access to email addresses, etc. Very easy to customize- all changes show up immediately. -
"Digital Meccano"
Version: Butler 4.1.5 Transient
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
Butler is a miracle of configurability. It can duplicate the varied functions of at least eight other best-of-class utilities, and do so elegantly and without compromise.
It had been hovering around my consciousness for more than a year when I decided to spend a little time seeing whether it was really all that it was cracked up to be. Definitely, but it is only when you start fine-tuning and putting it to your own uses that you fully understand what it is capable of. It is like a digital Meccano set: it may not arrive in the form that quite suits you, but you can take it apart and reassembe it in infinite different ways. It would be a rare Mac user who could not somehow work more efficiently or pleasantly with Butler's help. -
"god application"
Version: Butler 4.1.4 Transient
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
was using MaxMenu till leopard... tried Butler... delete all thing except the menu bar shortcut... works well... IT'S FREE!! i'd like to see a preference for bigger icon and menu... it's good but i'd like it bigger a bit on my iMac G5/2.1 20inches kinda little bit too small... MaxMenu a pref for small, big, bigger....too big ;-) well, Butler is still on... nice FREE app. :-) good works. -
"A \"must-have\" app!"
Version: Butler 4.1.3 Transient
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
This is my one absolute "must-have" for my Mac! I feel lost without it, so the Leopard update is very welcome!!!
Excellent program. -
"Awesome Work!"
Version: Butler 4.1.2
Summary
This review was originally posted on VersionTracker.com.
I've been using Butler for over a year now, and I am very impressed with it. This is the best piece of third-party freeware I've ever used, bar none. The interface is incredibly cohesive, intuitive, elegant, and Apple-like. Whenever I talk about Mac freeware, Butler is almost certain to be mentioned as the best of the best.
But Butler isn't just a nice collection of eye candy. MacWorld gave it the rare five-mice rating because of its perfect combination of usefulness, ease of use, and versatility. Using multiple clipboards, controlling iTunes, replaying keystrokes, searching the net, and controlling the system can all be done with Butler via keyboard shortcut, hot corners, the menu bar, or the Butler docklet.
I am using Butler on my PowerMac G5 dual 2Ghz with 10.3.9. So far, Butler has never stalled or crashed my system.
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