Alfred (software)
Encyclopedia
Alfred is an application launcher and search utility
for Mac OS X
. Alfred is free, though an optional paid upgrade is available.
Using a keyboard shortcut
chosen by the user, Alfred is able to quickly find and open software applications, files, and contacts on a particular machine. In addition to launching software applications, the application is able to search the Web, Amazon.com
, IMDB, Wikipedia
and many other sites.
Widely viewed as an alternative to OS X launchers such as Quicksilver
, Alfred was created primarily with ease of use
in mind. While it may focus on usability, Alfred is currently in beta
and is generally considered to be less technically powerful than Quicksilver and some other application launchers. It continues to add features such as integration with iTunes
, Address Book contacts and Clipboard History but lacks some features such as text manipulation.
Utility software
Utility software is system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility or tool....
for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
. Alfred is free, though an optional paid upgrade is available.
Using a keyboard shortcut
Keyboard shortcut
In computing, a keyboard shortcut is a finite set of one or more keys that invoke a software or operating system operation when triggered by the user. A meaning of term "keyboard shortcut" can vary depending on software manufacturer...
chosen by the user, Alfred is able to quickly find and open software applications, files, and contacts on a particular machine. In addition to launching software applications, the application is able to search the Web, Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
, IMDB, Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
and many other sites.
Widely viewed as an alternative to OS X launchers such as Quicksilver
Quicksilver (software)
Quicksilver is a computer utility software program for Mac OS X, originally developed by Blacktree Software and distributed freely. It is essentially a graphical shell for the Mac OS X operating system, allowing users to use the keyboard to rapidly perform tasks such as launching...
, Alfred was created primarily with ease of use
Usability
Usability is the ease of use and learnability of a human-made object. The object of use can be a software application, website, book, tool, machine, process, or anything a human interacts with. A usability study may be conducted as a primary job function by a usability analyst or as a secondary job...
in mind. While it may focus on usability, Alfred is currently in beta
Beta
Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet. Beta or BETA may also refer to:-Biology:*Beta , a genus of flowering plants, mostly referred to as beets*Beta, a rank in a community of social animals...
and is generally considered to be less technically powerful than Quicksilver and some other application launchers. It continues to add features such as integration with iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, Address Book contacts and Clipboard History but lacks some features such as text manipulation.