Overflow 2.0
After much work, I’m happy to announce that Overflow 2.0 is out! There’s also a nifty little screencast to introduce some of the new features over on the main Stunt website.
I’m sure I’ll be posting more about the development and new features of Overflow 2 soon, but overall I am very happy with this new version. It has features that people have been wanting for a long time, and I know I’m already finding it more useful, and using it in ways I didn’t expect.
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on Tuesday, October 10th, 2006 at 8:29 am.
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This morning I read the post on MacMinute about your new app, Overflow. Until this morning I was not aware of your company. I was so impressed with Overflow that I downloaded the rest of your applications and began using them in Demo mode. I must say I have never seen a more productive set of tools come from a single company. Excellent tools, great interfaces, and they work exactly was advertised. In fact, Overflow is the first tool of its kind that I feel I can actually benefit from.
I plan to review them in XtremeCamera in the next couple of weeks. I also plan to get the word out to our members about your tools before I publish the reviews in order to get some feedback from other users. I have a feeling that your applications will be a huge hit with our members, and the rest of the Mac community.
I wish you the best of luck. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help promote your wares.
John Manzione
XtremeCamera
All I can say is WOW, and THANKS!
I’ve been using your app for about a week with limited success. I had been searching for an alternative to the dock that would perfectly suit my workflow, and while Overflow was somewhat useful I was constantly wanting it to do things that seemed perfectly natural, but were absolutely impossible.
I had basically given up on Overflow after experimenting with it on my laptop for several days, I really wanted to utilize it as an alternative to the dock. So last night, while working on my Desktop I decided I’d give it one last chance and actually lose the dock and force myself to begin using it as THE primary application launcher. After almost an hour of tinkering with Overflow yet again, it was still not the launcher I had hoped for.
Don’t get me wrong, it was close, so close that I could think of only a small subset of features that I really felt necessary to ditch my dock, so I restored my dock and ditched Overflow once more, disappointed at my failure to coax the ideal app launcher out of this little one.
I thought to myself, if only it had features X, Y & Z.
Well, to my surprise this morning I was browsing my usual list of RSS subscriptions when I came across this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/factoryjoe/266073619
I paused for a moment and stared at the screenshot, something was different I thought, different than what I had just downloaded and installed no more than 12 hours ago. Then I continued on to read the feature list below and thought to myself, this is the app I was looking for. So a click or two later I had downloaded and installed the NEW Overflow, It took no more than 5 minutes of experimentation to confirm my initial thoughts, this IS the app that I had been searching for!
Thanks Again, I’ll be purchasing a license very soon, along with a license for your other app which I’ve also recently begun to rely on (On The Job).
Your attention to detail astounds me. Keep up the good work.
When I envisioned an app launcher for the Mac, I was pictured a simple window with categories that you could drag stuff into, and none of that more complex stuff that other apps offer. Overflow is that app for me. Strongly thinking about buying a license.
Two small suggestions that would make make me buy it for sure: a way to add separators in the category list, and an easier way to arrange items.
Awesome work!
Beautiful application. I simply cannot put it any better.
Dan, Overflow 2.0 is incredible. I’ve been happily using Overflow for a while, but 2.0 blew away all my expectations. It’s really a beautiful upgrade, and everything–even the dock icon–looks even more polished and precise. In terms of usability, Overflow’s new keyboard controls are simple and work exactly as I’d expect.
Superlatives fail me. Thank you.
I really like the way overflow works. I have been locking for a way to get into the utilities I need faster that browsing through the applications menu. 1 suggestion I have is that I can’t seem to get the application to take up 1 line only … at 2 lines the application feels a bit chuncky on the desktop - i’d really like a way to view 1 line only.
I read about Overflow on TechCrunch and after 5 minutes testing the demo I bought a licence. Its perfect. I was also very impressed with the Overflow introduction movie - simple, clear, concise and informative. Many thanks.
Hi,
I’m now in deep trouble. I’ve been using DragThing for ages and always thought it was not simple nor elegant enough. Sure, it’s feature packed but I don’t use most of them. It’s like using Word to take a note.
And now I tried Overflow. This is going to be expensive: a new license AND a lost DragThing license!
I have to think a little more about that.
I have two feature requests that may help my decision…
1) An option to make the Overflow window appear centered just below the mouse pointer. While implementing this please consider multi display setups: you can have negative coordinates! The behavior I’m looking for is like the Voilà window in this app: http://www.villagetronic.com/vtvoila/index.html
2) Hitting F1 again hides Overflow. Don’t ask me why, but it’s something that I miss much.
And other two longer term requests:
3) I’d like to be able to have very short category names, but it is impossible to set a narrow category area
4) Different grid width possible between different categories. With a nice transition effect, obviously… Not all categories have the same number of items and it’s not necessary to waste empty spaces.
In any case, congratulations for the excellent design! I now go and see if I can live without Overflow…
Thanks for the comments everyone! I’m really excited to see that people are enjoying the new release of Overflow.
John:
Let me know if you have any questions as you’re working on the review (feel free to email me directly - dan at stuntsoftware.com) - I can’t wait to read the review on your site!
Brian:
Thanks for the suggestions - care to elaborate on your ideas for ways to arrange items?
J Dub:
I’ll see what I can do about allow for resizing to one line high in the next release - I can’t think of any specific reason that it shouldn’t be possible.
Carlo:
Thanks for the suggestions - I think 1 though 3 are great ideas and things that will most likely make it into a future update. I will have to do some experimentation with 4 too see if it can be done in a way that doesn’t turn Overflow into too much of a crazy animated mess when switching between categories - but I do like the idea in theory!
Everyone else:
Thanks so much for your kind comments - it’s very encouraging!
To elaborate on my arrangement ideas: in the dock, you can rearrange items simply by moving them around. The same functionality in Overflow would be awesome. So, for example, I would like to be able to click-drag an icon, and drop it down into a new position, and the other icons move to accommodate. I guess other sorting options (sort by date, etc) would also be helpful.
@carlo: I’m curious to here a bit more detail about your option #4.
At a first read it almost sounds like you’d like Overflow to dynamically resize itself on the fly for different categories, depending on how much is in them. This has a serious interface consequence though… the clickable areas would be constantly moving/resizing, which makes the application harder to use. People tend to work better with a memorize+repeat pattern when it comes to mouse and the position of on-screen widgets. Overflow is probably one of those applications that can be used faster with a mouse than a keyboard. (The horror!)
First of all, thank you for implementing #2!
I now have to buy this software…
Answering to Shawn about my option #4:
Only the right part of the Overflow window would “shrink” and “expand”. Let’s say I have two categories: “Mickey” and “Donald”. I set the Overflow grid to be 3 items tall. In Mickey I put 5 items: 3 in column 1, 2 in column 2.
In Donald I put 8 items: 3 in column 1, 3 in column 2, 2 in column 3.
I’d like that, when I’m in Donald and I click on Mickey, the right border of the window moves leftwards reducing the grid size from 3 to 2 columns.
The opposite should happen moving from Mickey to Donald: the right border moves rightwards exposing the additional column.
Everything except the right border and the columns involved remains still during the shrink/enlarge process. The user wanting to use this feature should compact items on the left side, of course. Empty columns in the middle won’t move.
Yes, this risks to add too much eye candy anyway. But with a fast movement, more or less like an OSX drawer opening, I think it would be nice.
I like very, very much what Shawn said about the great mouse/keyboard boundary: there are applications that are faster to use with one or the other input method.
I read with interest Jef Raskin’s work about the completely textual computer but I think that this kind of computing does not fit every brain. I greatly prefer to use the mouse over the keyboard, to the point that sometimes I’d like to have a virtual keyboard on one of my screens.
That’s why to me applications like QuickSilver are nothing more than great stress sources. And why I love Overflow.
This brings to my mind another feature request, that mimics the way I was using DragThing:
5) Add a mouse gesture that brings up the Overflow window.
The problem is: which mouse gesture? Even with a two button wheel mouse all the combinations of clicks have already their codified meaning. A hot corner? This is conflicting a bit with my request #1 (when invoking Overflow in this way, the window would always appear with one corner over the mouse pointer and not centered), but is still acceptable. Any other idea?
Well done again Dan.
It’s great to see an updated release or two so soon, especially one that implements new features. Since others are openly suggesting ideas and opinions that are being well received, I figure I’d share a few of mine as well.
Three things, the first two are more or less suggestions based on my updateobservations, with the last point be a feature set that I’d love to see, and would certainly benefit from.
1. I think the auto-update system is great and functions very well, yet I feel it’s not ideal that the update window with the status bar pops up behind the main app window, at least this was the case on both my Desktop Powermac and macbook, where I keep Overflow in the center of the screen.
My suggestions would be to at least force the status window to the front, or my preferred method would be to simply force the app window out of sight (fade out) and temporarily “disable” it (shortcut etc.) while the update is in progress.
2. The second thing I’ve found to be troublesome recently is the style in which the main window stretches and grows in edit mode, it grows on either/all sides, a feature that seems only slightly useful when the window is at a small size near the center of the screen.
I thought it was neat at first, the look and feel of it, but the more I tried to precisely position it at certain points and in various sizes on the screen, the less control I had over it.
Maybe at the least there could exist an option for the “anchored” window positioning that most OS X app windows default to. It just seems like it would take out any of the guess work and be much less likely to end up off the screen. Maybe it’s just me?
This brings me to my third point…
3. I really think that Full-Screen functionality would be a welcomed addition, it’s hard to try and fake it right now. If ever such a feature were implemented I’d also be forced to beg for the possibility to turn the categories feature off. For instance, on my laptop I would love to have the entire screen dim and have my apps “grouped visually” on screen, not necessarily categorized, unless I really ran out of space, which wouldn’t be too likely at full screen on any of my machines with just my most used apps.
Well I can breath easier with that off my chest now
Also, I must say that none of these ideas or opinions are meant to take away from the fact that this application is amazingly useful in it’s current state. I think its great and will gladly continue to use it on a daily basis. Thanks again Dan, and keep up the terrific work.
I really like the new version with the categories! I have a license and I got a copy for free from My Dream App Site. I have but one request…
To be able to tie a category to a directory. I already sort my applications directory into separate folders and to be able to link the category in overflow to a folder means I would drop a new application in the appropriate folder and it would instantly be added to the end of that category in overflow!
http://www.pl0g.de/wordpress/2006/10/28/thats-why-i-love-my-mac-01/
regards .dean
I’ve just started to use Overflow, thinking it would make a great dock replacement.
Is it possible to Quit applications from within Overflow? (or add the feature?)
Like you would from the Dock by right clicking (ctrl+click), or clicking and holding?
Thank you
Stu
As I’ve been using it, there’s a couple of other things I’d like to see, as well as being able to Quit Applications.
Being able to add the Finder and the Trash to Coverflow.
Indication of which applications are open
More options on activiation; keys, window edges etc.
The other options you get when right click or hold on an app in the dock.
I’m sure these things have all been thought of, but they’re the sort of things I’d like to have in a true dock replacement. I’ve could imagine Apple buying this sort of App up : )
Overflow! I mean Overflow! I keep doing that.
Awesome
I Love The icon! I Didn’t Actually see the original 1.0 icon, I’d love to see it… Anyone Got A Link to it as an image?
OverFlow is a great application, however, I just can’t “Not” use my dock… However I NEED to try OverFlow for One week and see how I like it overall…. I own overflow from getting it from I think MyDreamApp, Possibly MacHeist.
-Chris24
Host of The All About Mac Live Podcast
[…] Aza Raskin berichtet im Humanized Blog nicht ganz uneigennützig über das Comeback der Kommandozeile. Er zielt damit unter anderem auf den selbst entwickelten Enso Launcher, eine Art Multifunktions - Kommandozeile wie man sie vom Mac in mehreren, interessanten Variationen kennt. […]
Hi
Wow, Wow
Overflow is best and beautiful icon, etc than RapidoStart as free download but RapidoStart is not clear screen and fair.
√√√√√ OverFlow
√√ RapidoStart
Just updated to 2.0.6 from 2.0.2. This gives an idea about how I am happy about Overflow: simply works.
I’ve seen that in 2.0.3 my request #3 has been addressed. Now I have my 3 character categories taking the minimum necessary space. Lovely.
I still miss my number 1 request: make the Overflow window appear centered around the mouse pointer (togglable preference of course). I have a total of 3.5 megapixels of displays and I sometimes have to travel a lot to reach the Overflow window.
It’s not difficult to implement, I wrote an application that does that (VT Voilà)… if we lived in a perfect world, every software would have been open source and I could have given my code to you or I could have added my code to your source or whatever… minimum effort. For sure less effort than trying to write a correct hypothetical sentence for a non native English speaker.
Anyway, we don’t live in a perfect world so pleeeeease implement that!