Namely: The Simple Way to Launch Apps

Using many apps at once can cause a big, overloaded dock with too many apps. However, you can clean up that messy dock of yours using an app launcher. An app launcher is a program designed to find and launch apps quickly without going to the Applications folder. Many Mac users will recommend Quicksilver. However, Quicksilver really has lots of features, maybe too many. I got scared off just reading the web site and all I wanted was a simple way to start my programs.

If you’re graphically oriented, you may like Todos or Overflow. However, if you’re keyboard oriented, there is an alternative. Namely, an app from Amar Sagoo, lets you pop open apps quicker than ever. All you have to do is start typing any part of an application’s name, and it gives you a list of possible matches. It learns which ones you use most, and orders the list from most used apps to least used apps. It’s basically Spotlight for applications.

So why not use Spotlight? Spotlight will churn through its index and show you every file you’ve got with that letter combination. Namely is faster and easier, since it just finds apps, not other file types. What’s more Namely also learns your habits over time, making future searches that much quicker.

Namely is customizable as well. It allows the user to set the activation shortcut, exclude certain programs, start it on login, and even set its window color. It has only one flaw, as it has a dock icon, and no option to get rid of it. But think of all the clutter you can remove from your dock if you use Namely.

Namely is free, and Universal. It’s a small program that adds a little grace to the Mac interface without replacing it entirely. If you need advanced features, go with Quicksilver. But if you just need a little more than a crowded dock and scattered desktop icons, do yourself a favor and try Namely.