Expert’s Rating
Our Verdict
Although there are many slipway to set up a programme in Mac OS X other than double - get across the program ’s ikon — for object lesson , using public eye or one of numberless “ launcher ” usefulness — one unproblematic approach has been popular since the early days of Mac OS hug drug : trail your Applications leaflet to the Dock . When you do this , a simple tap that pamphlet ’s Dock icon in Leopard ( or a justly - click , Control - click , or fall into place - and - hold in Tiger or earlier ) brings up a hierarchal menu of the content of /Applications ; choose a plan from that computer menu to launch it .
If this is your preferred approach , you ’re a meridian candidate for David Phillip Oster’sAppMenuBoy (; gratis ) , a product of theGooglepolicy that allows Google engineers tospend 20 % of their time on personal projects . AppMenuBoy is , quite simply , a syllabus that give you , as its Dock carte , a hierarchical menu of the programs in your Applications folder .
Why is AppMenuBoy necessary , give the Applications - folder - in - the - Dock option I mentioned above ? AppMenuBoy add together two useful features : First , it displaysonlyprograms ; for example , if your Applications folder hold any documents or other non - program files , or sub - folders contain such files , those items do n’t seem in AppMenuBoy ’s Dock menu ; only programs , and sub - folders moderate programs , appear . A skilful example of this behavior is the AppleWorks booklet , which contains 10 detail on my Mac . ( Yes , I still have AppleWorks installed ; I have n’t launched it in years , but I ca n’t play myself to delete it . ) A standard Dock carte for the Applications leaflet point everything ; AppMenuBoy ’s Dock menu shows only the AppleWorks computer program itself and a folder , AppleWorks Essentials , that itself contains computer programme .
The AppleWorks folder as it appears in the Dock menu for the Applications folder (left) and in AppMenuBoy’s Dock menu (right)
The AppleWorks folder as it appear in the Dock card for the Applications pamphlet ( left ) and in AppMenuBoy ’s Dock fare ( proper )
Second , if you ’ve got a booklet inside /Applications that contains only a single program , or a single programme and a commixture of papers , AppMenuBoy pulls that program into the main carte , free it from a sub - menu . For object lesson , I ’ve got a leaflet for FolderBrander that contains the FolderBrander program and three non - program files : License Agreement.rtf , ReadMe.rtfd , andYellow Mug Software.webloc . If I ’d sweep the Applications folder to the Dock , that folder would appear as a sub - carte and would display all its contents — not very utile if I ’m just looking to plunge the program . AppMenuBoy , on the other hand , establish just the program , but also ignores its brochure altogether , put the FolderBrander program in the main bill of fare .
FolderBrander as it appears in the Dock fare for the Applications folder ( left ) and in AppMenuBoy ’s Dock menu ( right )
FolderBrander as it appears in the Dock menu for the Applications folder (left) and in AppMenuBoy’s Dock menu (right)
Together , these two features intend that AppMenuBoy ’s menu is much cleaner than one provided by dragging the software booklet to the Dock — and , thus , much more useful as a makeshift “ software launcher . ” ( Although note that since AppMenuBoy is an coating itself , clicking on its icon in the Dock brings the program to the front ; to see its Dock menu — the inclination of programme — you need to right - click , controller - click , or dawn - and - hold . )
AppMenuBoy is still a 1.0 program . Its menu include no course of study image ( although , oddly , AppMenuBoy provides a card - cake Apps menu , seeable when AppMenuBoy is the active coating , that does display these icons ) . And AppMenuBoy creates its menu only when you first launch the computer program , so the fare does n’t mechanically update if you add items to or delete items from the Applications booklet ; you involve to quit and relaunch AppMenuBoy for such changes to be reflected in the menu . lastly , I wish AppMenuBoy would also admit in its carte du jour any programs you ’ve installed in your personal Applications leaflet ( in /Users / yourusername / Applications ) .
Still , for those who ’ve been using the onetime Applications - booklet - in - the - docking facility trick for access their programs , AppMenuBoy is a less - littered alternative .
