QuickLaunch is a small application that I hope you will find useful. Its purpose is to simplify the opening of groups of files that you use on a regular basis. If, for example,
you find you are often opening certain files when you launch an application, you can create a QuickLaunch ‘Launcher’ to do the job for you. A Launcher is a small stand-alone double-clickable application that will automatically open a group of documents and applications when it is started up. You use the QuickLaunch application to edit Launchers.
Why would you want QuickLaunch when there appears to be so many file–launching utilities around? Well, the closest analogue to QuickLaunch is the ‘Worksets’ idea built into Now Utilities, but Now Utilities costs a lot more, and QuickLaunch is a better implementation of this scheme anyway. I initially wrote QuickLaunch for myself as the Workset function in Now Utilities 4.0.1 was broken. Apple’s Launcher, which came with System 7.5, is in my view very clunky and not very flexible. All the other shareware utilities are fine pieces of work, and if you like them, fine, but as far as I know QuickLaunch is the only shareware program that works the way it does. It’s stripped down, occupies 100K of hard disk space and runs in 100K of RAM. It doesn’t have a glitzy manual and it doesn’t cost £19.99.
Full on-line help is provided with QuickLaunch. Hit the help key or look under the
Help menu (Guide menu in System 7.5) and Apple menu.
QuickLaunch fully supports Drag and Drop – to use this facility you will need System 7.1 or later. If you are using System 7.5, Drag and Drop is integrated, but if not you will need the Drag and Drop System Extensions, including the Clipping Enabler, which you can obtain by anonymous ftp from ftp.apple.com.
QuickLaunch is shareware. It is only £3 Sterling, which is unbelievably cheap when you consider how much work has gone into it (several hundred hours). For non-UK residents the price is US$5 or the equivalent in local currency. On payment of your shareware fee you will receive a code number which you can use to disable the startup screen. Your fee also gives you the right to free upgrades and bug–fixes as and when they become available. I do urge you to send me your shareware fee if you like QuickLaunch and decide to keep it. If I get a reasonable return from this project, my next creation will also probably be shareware. If not, I’ll probably make it a commercial product, and it won’t cost £3, that’s for sure.
I can be contacted via the Internet at:
daggilli@bradford.ac.uk
If you want to write to me via snail-mail (which you will have to do if you decide to pay your shareware fee) my address is:
David Gillies
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
