CNET Editors' review
Micro-Sys Launcher is a cool little bit of freeware that lets you quickly open stuff--files, folders, apps, and such--from the system tray. You can keep shortcuts to all the programs and files you use most often in one easy-to-access location, and launch them with a click. You can group your shortcuts by hierarchy in a tree view or by program association, keeping more frequently used items together. You can even create shortcuts to quickly launch several items at once.
Launcher boasts a drag-and-drop interface that makes creating a quick-launch shortcut as easy as dragging an icon from, for example, the desktop into the Manage Items window. Right-clicking the systray icon displays your shortcuts and gives you access to the Launcher menu, from which you can open the Manage Items window, select preferences such as language and menu options, and check for updates. The preferences dialog box displays helpful little tips in a side panel, a nice touch, especially on a free product. Launcher also lets you drag files and shortcuts from your favorite programs into the tree view, letting you open multiple items with a single click. There are command-line and batch file functions as well.
Launcher is generally easy to use, though now and again the documentation refers to some of the more advanced features that come with Launcher Pro, the paid version, and the Tools option is actually a sales pitch for other Micro-Sys wares. But whatever you ask Launcher to open, it opens easily, and quickly too.
Publisher's Description
From Microsys:
Launcher is an easy-to-use personal shortcut manager to launch all kinds of files and programs. Drag-and-drop operations are supported; this means that when Micro-Sys Launcher is in Manage Items mode, it is possible to configure shortcuts by dragging files from e.g. Windows desktop and then dropping them into Micro-Sys Launcher. One can create an unlimited amount of user-defined subfolders and item (e.g. program) shortcuts. Launcher resides in the system-tray.
What's new in this version: Version 1.9.9 fixed error log now visible from "About" menu and further changes to save routine to make it more robust.
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All versions:
2.2 starsout of 5 votes
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Current version:
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Results 1-5 of 5
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"IT IS TERRRIBLE"
Version: Launcher 1.9.5
Pros
CAUSED NOTHING BUT TROUBLE WITH COMPUTER
Cons
NONE THAT I COULD SEE
Summary
COULD SEE NOTHING USEFUL ABOUT IT
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"I downloaded this thing and it tried to take over!!!"
Version: Launcher 1.8.4
Pros
I didn't keep long enough to find out.
Cons
I was notified to have this program downloaded.
downloaded & restarted, then program came up saying it had control of all these things programs and I was suppose to catalog everything to what I wanted done (I already had stuff under control)!Summary
#1- I don't know who fit I needed this. #2- It was a good exercise in search and destroy!
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"Easy and discreet to use"
Version: Launcher 1.8.1
Pros
Absolutely non-intrusive,, easy to configure, easy to use.
Cons
There's a bug - I HOPE it's a bug- when naming a new separator. It writes backwards (8-?)
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"Whats the point?"
Version: Launcher 1.7.5
Pros
It does what they say it does
Cons
If you want to luanch a program quickly in Windows just type in the program, rather than opening this first.
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"Very Useful, Simple- one of my most used apps 4.5stars"
Version: Launcher 1.5.4
Pros
Now that im used to it, i couldn't be without it- simple, small, extremely useful, but still allows you to have lots of items- easily organized w/separators, headings, virtual folders, etc- Can launch files, folders, shortcuts, favorites, apps, etc
Cons
Needs a help file- though there's help on the site, it's not very explanatory. Maybe a way to customize icons, would be great, but it's really just trivial
Summary
I've gotta say that i have come to regard this little application as an important necessity- in fact, when i first received my new laptop, and was in that initial stage of familiarizing it so as to resemble my previous set-up- i.e customizing it & installing applications that i had grown so accustomed to having, that i almost couldn't function properly, or comfortably, without them- Micro-Sys Launcher was one of the first applications that i just had to have back.
Although, because it was a brand new laptop, i did want to try out possible alternatives for the applications that i had used for so long on my old laptop- freshen things up a bit, rather than immediately inundating it with all the same stuff- A "dock/launcher-type" application was one that i figured would have tons of different choices. And so i did download> install> try out> then un-install several different launcher-type apps. But unlike Micro-Sys Launcher (or for now on, what will be referred to as MCL), none of them had all of the features & capabilities that i was looking for- although some would maybe do 1 or 2 things better or more effectively, they would still be missing other things that MCL was not.
In terms of user-friendliness & its UI- It's not all that hard to figure things out, as it's not a particularly complicated application. Though there is some help provided- when you click "Help" on the menu, it will take you to it's help site- the information is somewhat brief. Also, there are contextual little descriptions or tips that display in the status bar area of the configuration window as you use MCL, or click or mouse over specific buttons.
You can add files or applications by drag & drop or manually. You can add separators, headings & virtual folders. For instance, lets say you have your "My Pictures" folder divided into several sub-folders- you can create a virtual folder titled "Pictures" - which, when moused over, will then open up a sub-menu containing folder(s)- let's say "Friends", "Family" and "Pets"- then each of those folders could either be just folders, that will be launched when clicked on, OR they could themselves be made into virtual folders as well- that, when moused-over, will also open up into another submenu- for instance, maybe the "Pet" folder could then expand a submenu containing "Fido" & "Frisky" folders- and so on- get it? sort of like a Tree structure. I found the virtual folders to be most useful.
Also, as i said, folders, files, Internet shortcuts, applications, favorites, etc can be organized & divided nicely into sections with separators & headers. You are able to pack in many items, but still keep it simple, compact & organized so as not to have a humongous menu open up when you click on the MCL tray notification icon- which reminds me- all there is to it, is a small icon in your sys tray area (the icon is quite ugly though), which, when clicked on, will bring up your customized menu.In order to configure or change things, at the very bottom of this menu, you will see the item "Launcher Kit"- which, when moused over, will expand into a submenu of items- one of which is "Manage Items"- click it to bring up the configuration window, which is where you can manually add items, or drag & drop items. MAKE SURE YOU CLICK "SAVE" BEFORE YOU CLOSE THIS WINDOW or ALL of your changes will be LOST(i did so, to much frustration, several times, losing all of the time & effort i put into adding & organizing everything just right). Also, there is a button to click called "Sweep" which will sweep through all of your items, alerting you if & when any items are invalid or do not exist.
I cannot recommend this enough. It is not an application that is well-know or extremely popular (look- i am the first to review it!), but it really should be. i was somehow lucky enough to stumble upon it while in the midst of searching the internet. Its website (at the time- it has since changed a bit) was rather simple & not especially forthcoming. But i gave it a try anyway, and am quite satisfied. It is updated regularly & best of all, it is FREE! It doesn't have all the bells & whistles of many of the popular Launch Bars or Docks- but, for me, it is much more useful & less resource intensive in its simplicity- barely making a mark. I had since uninstalled my other dock applications, as i found i didn't need them any more. Give it a try :)
*i apologize for such a long review, but i really appreciate when people take the time to give me as much info about an app before i download it, and so i try to do the same in return.
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