XYplorer Beta Club

This is more of a survey, maybe not exactly a poll, than a review or request.
I have been using XY for many years now and love the flexibility. Many times I download a clean copy and redo my layout and workflows. Some of this is because of a new functionality in XY or discovering a new way to use a command that is a game changer.

One thing I go back and forth with is launching applications. On one side I create multi-script menus linked to custom button, or a catalog that I can load that I can use as a launch pad, or even just a paper folder that has a list of apps that I can select from.
On the other side, of the proverbial coin, I will use a separate launcher app. In the past I have used, but not limited to, Launchbar Commander (awesome), Find and Run Robot (awesome), Executor, various docks, and such.

Launchers are sometime easy to configure, handle lots of mundane configurations easily, can be extremely flexible, and maybe every provide some eye candy. But they are an extra piece of software that might cause issues and uses system resources. No one launcher is perfect - some prefer the keyboard type (FARR) and some like docks.

XY, with is scripting language, offers many ways to create launchers and you don't need a separate program. Plus support for XY is fantastic. But menus and buttons take up space that I can use for other things. Configuring is more labor intensive.

I don't use the windows menu much, most of my apps are portable so I don't install much into the system other than things where it makes sense, like office or something.

So I was wondering what others in the XY community do? Do you use a launcher of some type? if so which on and why? Or do you launch out of XY? and if this is the case then what methods work for you, or do you have any tips to pass on?

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=19123

What else^^

Well, different users, different needs/preferences, different experiences...

I install applications seldom - almost everything I use is portable. However, I do not like the idea of using XY as a launcher. For about a decade (or longer?) I prefer an almost unknown and developmentally frozen launcher: PStart (http://www.pegtop.net/start/), which I use day and night and had no problems with it, starting probably with W2K, via XP, Vista and Win7, up to Win10 (no experience with Win8).

One has to use it a while, to notice the existence of some very handy features.

This thread might be of interest too: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=7446

@Borut

You link points to this thread

Wow, it gets more interesting each time I read it...

Feature-wise I like http://keypirinha.com/
but the source code was never published (though it was announced way back that his would happen) and the author
doesn't want to add an option to hide it's tray icon (and I hate tray icons that can't be hidden when an app is meant
to run in the background and doesn't necessarily need a visible element during non-used times)...

highend wrote:@Borut
You link points to this thread

Thanks for the stack RTE. Corrected.

@highend: You probably don't want to run another program just to hide tray icons, but supposedly this can do it, if it is of any interest:
http://www.eusing.com/hidewindows/bosskey.htm
I haven't tried it so can't confirm though.

@jupe

Hihi
Thanks but this should be supported natively (which will probably never will be the case), I don't want to run another app just for such a simple purpose...

Thanks Highend, I have downloaded version .4 or .5 but I need to get the latest and mess with it some more.

Borut, "different users, different needs/preferences, different experiences..." - exactly. I think I am just looking for something that might be a new way of doing something that might be better than what I am doing now.
I also did check out that launcher thread a while ago. I think I have used just about all of them at one time or another.

I am just about to redo my portable app area and XY. I usually start off in one direction and end up with some mish mosh. Just interested in what others might be doing.