Tech Smartly

For me, this was a very easy question. No.

The device is pretty neat, there’s no denying that. It’s unfortunate that apple has decided to completely lock down the iPhone into AT&T. In fact, this is what kept me from getting the first iPhone. That, and the fact that it’s usually better to wait for the second generation of new hardware. Apparently, Apple has wizened up, and you are now forced to sign the contract in the store. This makes things a bit more complicated then. With the first iPhone, you were allowed the possibility of enabling it through iTunes. Or, you could not activate it at all, and instead you could unlock it. Yet there is always the problem of being left with an iBrick. With the 3g iPhone, Apple has agreed to a wide array of different contract prices with countries in Europe. For example, in Belgium you get a completely unlocked iPhone, with which you can use with whatever carrier you like. The price is rather steep considering the exchange rates (it costs almost $1000 for the 16gb version!), so if you’re desperate and looking for an unlocked iPhone now, Europe is the way to go.  However, there are plans of selling unlocked iPhones by the end of the year in America. The price will be much higher without a contract, at $599/$699 depending on the model. It will be pay as you go, but I do not know if that means it will work with every carrier. I’ve been unable to find more information about pay as you go iPhones being sold in America, maybe my google fu isn’t up to scratch. Unfortunately for apple, I’m not buying their iPhone just yet, and most likely neither should you (although this could depend on the circumstances).

Python is a language that has risen in popularity these last few years. I have heard about it before, and just recently I decided I wanted to learn it. First of all, I know no other language other than visual basic. However, I don’t want to be forced to use a language that is locked into windows, although I know there are ways to get visual basic working using Mono. However it is not the disadvantages of visual basic that compel me to learn python, rather the advantages of python. I honestly don’t know enough about visual basic to say why it sucks, but the fact that it’s from Microsoft was reason enough for me look and see what better cross-platform alternatives there are. Python is also easy to use. It has an easy to read syntax, meaning that it is easy to maintain it. If you write something in python, you can come back to your code in six months and easily figure out what you’re trying to do. However, if you use a language like C++, it can be difficult to understand your own code at first. Of course, having a clean syntax also helps as you’re coding. It helps make everything clear, and instead of focusing on the language, you focus on the logic. Most important for me is that I can learn it without it being too complicated. It’s going to be a little side project of mine. I don’t want to waste a lot of time learning things in c/c++ that I could already be doing in python. Perhaps at a later point, I will learn c++. At this point in time, I would rather learn more about programming theory, such as objects and whatnot. Python makes it easy to learn all of this. If you also wish to learn about programming, I would imagine python to be a great starting point for everyone. There is a book about python that will be released on the 25 of September, called Beginning Python: from Novice to Professional, Second edition. I have read some of the author’s articles online, as well as the first chapter in his first book. It does not over complicate things with unnecessary terminology meant for professionals, but instead focuses on being clear to understand without overloading on complicated matters. I have read some of the his articles online and it it seems clear without taking things too fast. Thus, I will try to get my hands on a copy of the book when it releases. I will begin learning python in approximately a month and a half (no, not because I’m lazy).

In my search for speedy usage of my computer, I’ve stumbled on several different programs. I’ve found 2 different programs, called Enso launcher and Launchy. Both of these two programs are different, are a designed based on different principles. Enso has come out with a beta of its launcher, which I find to be much better, and fixes several of the problems that I had. However, it is still incomplete. Where you would expect something to happen, instead it gives you a message box explaining how the feature will be implemented later on. This makes it rather difficult to compare the two, since Enso launcher is rather lacking in abilities. For example, you can’t copy and paste, although if you know what you’re doing it’s not that much of a problem. Despite this, Enso launcher is still usable as it is, as it is still used every day by me. Launchy, on the other hand, is complete and is not in a beta of any form. For the intents and purposes of this article, I will be comparing the beta of version 2.0, which I think is much better, if lacking in some features.

Enso

Enso launcher is product made by Humanized. Humanized bases all their products on having a “humanized” interface. Everything they do is done to make everything as efficient and humanized as possible. I think their philosophy is best explained on their about page. Enso itself is a very neat product. It’s visually appealing, and uses a nice pallet of colors. It’s very slick, and I can see a lot of thought was put into this aspect. It uses the caps lock key to toggle input, which you must hold down. It can be a bit hard at times to do this, especially if you’re a touch typist, but it works well enough. You can change it to other predefined keys. However, you will not be able to use the defined key for its normal use, it’s sole purpose is for the Enso launcher. You are told to try it, that even though it’s new, you’ll get used to it. I’ve been using this for a two weeks, and it’s still a bit awkward, but I can use it to a degree that is sufficient enough for me to use it without much thinking. It’s different, that’s for sure, and whether or not it’s better seems more like what you’re comfortable with, rather than hard data. This is my personal opinion, as I’m sure a study could show that one is better than the other, but I don’t think that will happen any time soon.

The way you use Enso launcher, is that you press and hold caps lock to type a command. The most common commands are:

open: open an executable

go: Change to another open window

learn as open: Highlight something, use this command, and put in whatever you want the program to learn. For example, highlighting “www.techsmartly.com”, using the command, and typing in techsmartly will make the program learn that the command “open techsmartly” will open this website. If you still don’t quite understand it, think of it as binding a key in the console if you’re a gamer.

open with: Like the open command, but you say which program you want to open the file with.

These are the most frequently used commands for the average user. There’s also a tutorial video that explains everything much more in depth if you install it, so don’t worry if you don’t understand.

The main reason I prefer the beta 2.0 version over version 1, is that it learns what you use. This is a feature that was sorely lacking in the first version. This is why, despite missing many useful features, I much prefer version 2.0. Also, the way commands are typed in is different. in the original, you typed “open Firefox”, and it would open it. Now, you type “o”, let go of caps lock, and a little box shows up. Then you can type “fi” and enter, and then Firefox opens up. Despite being more complicated on paper, it is much easier to actually do. It requires fewer keystrokes. It’s only a bit difficult to learn if you’re used to the old stay. It’s quite intuitive, since after all it is the philosophy behind all Humanized products.

Like every program, it has its downfalls. First of all, no copy and paste. It’s still not implemented, so you’re going to have to type everything out. Luckily there’s that learning algorithm to help you. Another problem is that you can’t scroll further down the list of suggestions other than what is already listed. Lastly, you can’t type anything that’s incredibly long. Most importantly though, is that it seems to crash quite a bit. I’ve had it crash several times, but luckily it starts again. It also opens up a web page where you can explain what you were doing when it crashed, and it sends info about what was happening. You’re able to see all the info that’s being sent, so there are no worries there(hopefully).  These are several glaring problems that I’ve had with this program. It is not enough to render it unusable, and it is still a beta. There is also no linux version, for all your linux fans and users out there. However, a Linux version is in the pipe works, although I’m unsure if it’s for the first enso launcher or the the second version of the enso launcher.

It’s a great little app, and I use it quite a bit.

Launchy

Launchy is, just like Enso, a launcher. Like Enso launcher, it’s main goal is to speed up your computer usage. However, less focus is put on the interface itself. The end purpose is the same, but everything else is different. Launchy has a lot more options than Enso. You simply type the name of what you want, and it finds it for you. You do not have all the commands given in Enso launcher, meaning it is only what it is, a launcher. However, it doesn’t only have to launch what i has already indexed. Unlike Enso launcher, you can tell Launchy to index a certain folder, so that everything inside can be launched as long as you know the name. You can write the name of a song, and it will open it. However, you need to know the actual filename, not the anme of the song.

You can’t go to another window in Launchy. Enso is very powerful if you know how to use it. Launchy is also powerful if you know how to use it. However, they are powerful in different areas. Enso can also have more commands if you know how to code. Launchy has a lot more customization, as well as the ability to index everything. It is also quite simple of you like to use default everything (putting all your videos in my videos, music in my music, etc). If you like to tweak and customize to your liking, you can also do that. With enso, you can’t do so. You can’t make it index anything else, and the amount of options is quite flimsy. You can change the skin in launcher, but you can’t do so with enso. Fortunately, Enso does most things “just right”. It has that feelings that disillusioned mac users think about OSX. Of course, following in traditional Mac footsteps, if you don’t like the way it does things, tough (bring on the hate mail!).

A small footnote in today’s ever increasing processing power; launchy has a smaller memory footprint. Enso takes up about 33 megabytes of ram, while Launchy takes up only 12. This is while it’s idle. For those that have very little computer resources, like some of my friends, launchy may be the best choice if there is some indecision between the two.

Which one?

Both are great launchers. Both are free, so can try both and see what you like. I personally prefer Enso launcher, but some people may prefer Launchy. It depends on how you wish to use it, as well as a myriad of other factors. Although I would recommend people to try enso if asked, the real answer would be to try both, that way you can’t be wrong. I’ve since stopped launchy from starting up automatically, and I use only Enso Launcher now, but there’s no risk in trying both, or maybe others as well. Remember, the keyboard is almost always faster than the mouse.

For those that don’t use windows

Unfortunately, Launchy and Enso launcher are not out for another other than windows. For linux, you can choose between Katapult, and gnome do. For Mac, you have Quicksilver.