Enso versus the Start Menu

Since Windows 95, the Start Menu has stood for easy access to your computer's features. Yet it's slow to use, and hard to find things in. For example, do you know where Notepad is in your Start Menu? Neither do we.

Enso Launcher does what the Windows Start Menu does (and more), but is both faster and less frustrating to use. Why? Read on and find out.

Launching Programs

Open your Start Menu. How many applications are in there? You probably have dozens, scores, or even hundreds of things listed. This hard-to-search mess of a list (it's not even in alphabetical order!) isn't your fault: You didn't design it. You should be able to find and open the program you need at any time, without hassle -- and without interrupting your train of thought. Simply put, you need a better program launcher.

So, what should a program launcher look like?

For one thing, it should be so fast and easy to use, that you don't even realize you're using it. Your program launcher shouldn't distract you with irrelevant information about where such-and-such program is stored, or in which category some engineer thought it belonged. Using your computer should be almost as easy as thinking, "I want Photoshop now," and making Photoshop instantly appear.

Furthermore, one system should open all of your programs. You shouldn't be forced to learn one launcher for programs you use 10 times a day, another for programs you use once a day, a third for programs you use a couple times a month, and a different one for those programs that you have but hope you'll never need. Whether you have dozens or even hundreds of programs installed, your launcher should provide fast and painless access to all of them. And why stop at programs? Why not be able to find documents and websites with the exact same mechanism?

The Start Menu does not help you to achieve any of these things.

The Failure of the Start Menu

Can you find the Calculator program in your Start Menu? How about the Character Map program? Both tools could be very useful, but few people use them because it's such a pain to find and open them. Why is one program under "Accessories," while another is under "System Tools"? You have to think exactly like the programmer who decided where in a three- or four-layer hierarchy each icon should go. Even for those of us who can think like programmers, it's annoyingly time-consuming.

Why do many people still use the Start Menu? Because it comes with Windows, and because Windows has several systems for opening the programs you use most of the time. You can use the Quick Launch bar; add shortcuts on the Desktop; "Pin to the Start Menu"; wait and let Windows try to figure things out; or resort to the Recently Used list. But none of these options actually solves the problem. Only a small number of programs reaches the top of the heap at any given time; the rest of your programs hide behind the "All Programs" menu, in a morass of icons and folders.

A Better Way

Enso Launcher offers a solution that works so quickly, easily and transparently, you'll actually forget that you're using it. The trick: Hold down the Caps Lock key, and type a few characters of the command you want to run—for examples, "open photoshop," or "open internet explorer." Enso shows you the best match it can find, as fast as you can type. And don't worry: If you like the Caps Lock key the way it is, you can use a different key.

Enso Launcher lets you do even more than launch programs or open documents. Enso is a general way of telling your computer what you want to do. Issue the "go gmail" command, and switch to the GMail tab open in your web browser. Teach Enso a website—for instance, nytimes.com—by selecting the URL and using "learn as open nytimes." Perform calculations in Microsoft Word by selecting an equation and issuing the "calculate" command.

"Anything. Anytime. Anywhere." That's the Enso motto.

Don't Throw Away the Start Menu...Yet

There's one thing the Start Menu offers that Enso Launcher doesn't yet provide: A convenient way to discover all of the things that your computer features. The Start Menu is made for browsing: "What's this accessories folder? Oh, I have a calculator? Neat!" This is the one time you actually want to think about launching programs. And for this, the Start Menu is great! It stands up and says, "See me, notice me, fiddle with me!" Meanwhile, Enso Launcher will let you get on with whatever you would rather be doing, be it work or play.