Quicksilver, a widely known OS X app launcher, has finally left beta after ten years. The app’s version number has changed to version 1.0.0 with the release and, according to the Quicksilver blog, this update “signifies a maturity of Quicksilver and a sign of what’s to come.”
The app was introduced in 2003 and has been updated constantly throughout the years, although it did have a hiatus for a while. The application lets Mac users launch applications, open folders and perform other functions by using Triggers. Triggers are simple and customizable mouse gestures or keyboard shortcuts that allow you to take advantage of the speediness of Quicksilver.
Third parties can develop plugins and AppleScript extensions for Quicksilver, making it very useful for niches within professional applications. In fact, third party applications are a big focus with Quicksilver coming out of beta. Patrick Robertson, a developer working on the app, said the following during an interview on the Quicksilver blog:
The true power of Quicksilver comes from our plugin developers, so I’ll be happy once we have a strong dev community back on our side creating great plugins, and over the coming months I’m going to be working hard to try and achieve this – we can always make things simpler for new developers!
Quicksilver is available for free via the Quicksilver website. The most recent version is Retina display compatible and will run on Mountain Lion, Lion and Snow Leopard, while alternative releases are still available for Macs dating as far back as OS X Panther.
