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I first encountered the fuzzy search command bar shortly after I started using Mac OS X 20 years ago when I discovered LaunchBar. This revolutionized my computer usage. Basically bringing the power of CLI to GUI

It took quite a few years fir this to be picked up by SublimeText, but wow that was another huge boost. No longer needing to learn tons of keyboard commands to navigate an application.

I wish an OS would deeply bake this idea in. Apple has done good job with Spotlight for the system level (I still use LaunchBar on my own systems) , but I want this functionality to be shared between System and Apps



The large numbers of keyboard shortcuts is a feature - like learning a piano piece or something, once you have muscle memory you can fly thru the commands. Having to look at anything other than the output of your command, like a suggested completion is slower.


Lets just say I am very keyboard centric. I have used computers for nearly 40 years. I automate the my systems with extensive Keyboard Maestro and AHK scripts, use multiple layers on my programmable hardware keyboard, LaunchBar or Keypirinha. When editing text I seldom touch the mouse or use the menus. I have mostly made Windows 10 bend to my highly MacOS inspired keyboard focus

On Linux, I mostly restrict myself to the CLI. When I try Linux GUIs, I am frustrated with the lack of keyboard consistency in the GUI, but I have also never given it the months of time it would take to bend the Linux GUI to my way. (I do customize the heck out of the CLI)


This is what Ubuntu tried to achieve with Unity. Even as far as being able to search for GUI commands within individual applications. I thought it worked pretty well and was gutted when they scraped it.


I only grokked what Unity was about after it was cancelled when I was searching for ways to make the Linux GUI more keyboard centric.

I never tried it, seems like such a wasted opportunity.


Apple has that its command /


Yes thanks for mentioning that Apple’s cmd-/ I fell it gets us about a third of the way to a command bar. I prefer this to Windows alt key navigation of menus.




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