Better Quicksearches with QuickSilver

Like many out there I’m rather obsessed with doing things the best way possible. Up until yesterday I was using browser-based quick searches to perform quick Internet searches. But there’s a better way.

QuickSilver (sorry, OS X only) allows us to get the same quick search functionality, but from anywhere. So if you’re working on some code in TextMate, reading email, or working on the command line, you no longer have to switch to your browser to start a search. Just invoke QuickSilver from wherever you are and search away.

Here are some of the searches that I do through QuickSilver:

• Google
• Google Images
• Google Maps
• Video (YouTube)
• Wikipedia
• Dictionary
• Thesaurus

[ If you want any of these bookmarks (quick searches), or want to know how to set them up, leave a comment below or [contact me](http://dmiessler.com/contact/) ]

So, the old way:

1. From a non-browser app, switch over to your browser (alt-tab)
2. Command-L to get to your URL field
3. Type “$shortcut $searchterm”

Using QuickSilver:

1. Invoke QuickSilver
2. Start typing the kind of quick search you want to do
3. Tab to the query field and enter the $searchterm

You may be thinking that there are three steps involved in both so there isn’t really any savings, but that’s an illusion. The real savings comes from the process being the same all the time regardless of where you started from.

It’s a matter of simplification. All Internet searches — the same way — every time.