Okay, Proteron’s Lite Switch X looks interesting with it’s few extra features over Tigers built-in Command-Tab switcher, but is it worth $15 of your hard earned cash? From what I’m seeing, I don’t think so.

Sure, you can change the background color of the switch panel or move it up the screen or down it to be closer to your keyboard but is that worth $15? Yes, it has context sensitive menus for each item in the list with a bit more options than Tigers default option, but do I really care to get more info on that app from my switcher?

Dan Frakes of Macworld is giddy over the fact that he can now use it on his Intel-based Mac due to the newly released Universal Binary, but Dan, why? I read your list and I did catch my self say audibly once or twice, “That’s cool,” but I was also quick to complete my sentence with, “But still not worth $15.”

Is displaying background applications really that important to you? I thought the idea of the task switcher is to minimize lengthy resume times. Shesh, with all those applications filling up the list, it’s hard to even tell what icon is what since they’re so small!

I guess the “re-open” feature is cool, too, but again, $15?

Look, I’m the first to admit I have some stuff running on my Mac that is probably over priced that I love dearly so I’ll cut Dan some slack, but IMOHO, Tigers switcher is just fine by me. How ’bout you?

12 Responses to “Is Lite Switch X Worth $15?”

1. veggiedude Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 7:47

   I also gave it a try yesterday and came away with the same feeling. It’s no longer on my Mac. Maybe if the command-tab would stick, I would have liked the program to keep tring it much longer. My biggest beef with command-tab is that you have to keep your fingers on it, and I was hoping this program would allow me to be finger free after invoking the command-tab.

2. Brant Sears Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 9:56

   I use Lite Switch X. I bought it when Jaguar (10.2) came out. At that time, it was very useful.

3. LarryP Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 10:16

   I love using LiteSwitch X, and I think it is worth $15. I can’t stand using the built-in switcher. The LiteSwitch panel is smaller and easily resizable. The OSX switcher, on the other hand is fixed, large and cartoonish in appearance. Also, I can use the Prefs Panel to easily choose the hot keys that suites me. There are other LiteSwitch X features I like, but the ones that are most important to me I have mentioned above.

4. Jarod Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 11:45

   $15. No way. This app should be free; if it were it would sure get me interested in their other apps. But since its not, it just tells me that the company (developer) isn’t doing all that well and is trying desperately to make a $1 from unsuspecting users.

5. Lally Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 11:56

   I’m also a LiteSwitchX user. It’s the advanced features that make it worthwhile. Just hit ‘ff’ on an app to force-quit, and you can hit q to quit any number of apps while the cmd key is down.

   Also, you can select not to have various apps in the bar, like quicksilver.

   I tried going back to the original cmd-tab, but it’s just so primitive in comparison. LSX is a basic app manager, not just a switcher.

6. Poopmaster Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 12:51

   Hey Sven, what’s up with the missing apostrophes throughout the article? Tigers –> Tiger’s.

7. Sven Rafferty Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 13:29

   Apostrophes? We don’t need no sticking apostrophes!

   Ya, I usually ADD apostrophes to everything and this time I forgot it.

   Thanks for proof reading, Poopmaster. Shall I make you our editor?

8. uncoy Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 17:48

   I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes. I have two bootup disks, one with LiteSwitch X on it and one without it (the two bootup disks are my full featured 10.3 as well as a bare bones 10.4 to check that my customisations aren’t slowing down the computer). I hate running the standard version.

   Features I use: LiteSwitch X allows you to turn all fading off (fast switching), allows you to choose the size of the icons (so they stay the same size all the time) and allows you to use shift to move backwards through applications.

   There’s a $25/for three licenses deal. Recommend buying that and giving presents of the other licenses to other Mac friends. You pay $5 and they get $15 worth of software.

   Didn’t much like when Proteron had LiteSwitch X sending out DMRC emails and trying to email your hosting provider (dimwits). Later they repented however and have apparently mended their ways. That scandal was why I never bought anything else from them. But can’t live without my LiteSwitch.

9. wdavis Says:
   July 25th, 2006 at 20:46

   Has anyone tried Witch?

   http://www.petermaurer.de/nasi.php?section=witch

   It seem very cool.

10. Sekhmet Says:
    July 26th, 2006 at 6:13

    I’m a LiteSwitch User. Am not sure whether I would shell out $15 now, but I’ve been using it since before Apple provided a switcher.
    Now I find I can’t stand using the Apple switcher. I tried going without LiteSwitch for a while but had to install it in the end. Apple switcher just seemed unbearably clunky in comparison.

11. uncoy Says:
    July 26th, 2006 at 7:24

    Almost everything Peter Mauer does is very cool. I wouldn’t be without his Butler or his Textpander (we haven’t had a text expander this simple and good since TypeIt4Me for Mac OS 8 and 9 – the Mac OS X version of TypeIt4Me doesn’t compare and suffers from feature bloat, heavy drag on system).

    Butler will give you back your Applications menu and more.

    (Last minute update – Textpander has been sold and is now commercial software from Smile on Mac at $30. Still worth it, but I don’t like the pricing. Should be down in the $10 to $20 range, IMHO).

12. uncoy Says:
    July 26th, 2006 at 7:26

    I have donated twice to Peter Mauer so I won’t have to pay for the commercial license. Support your favorite freeware vendors with donations so they don’t have to sell their beautiful utilities to commercial developers!