I have always been a command prompt kinda guy. Since XP has been out, I have used the address toolbar as a make-shift desktop RUN box. For the most part it worked very well. However, the ability for MSN Desktop Search to do shortcuts has really floored me. For the most part, you can also treat it as a run box by prefacing your command with an = sign. Web pages are tougher, however, and often require surrounding quotation marks. Some commands are not perfectly smooth either. Typing my computer in the address bar pulls up what you would suspect. Typing =my computer or =“my computer“ in the msn desktop search doesn't work. Obviously you could create a shortcut, but that's not the point...
The other problem I had with the MSN Desktop Search was that it is branded with MSN stuff everywhere. I know I shouldn't complain about a wonderful piece of free software, but I just didn't like that aspect of it. So I hacked it...
Over on tech-recipes I have posted a tutorial on hacking and skinning MSN Desktop Search. I just used a friendly little resource hacker--easy and fun. I would love to see other people's ideas using this technique. So I've solved that problem.
However, so far, I have still left my address bar on my taskbar as well. I love the way it remembers the last sites and commands that I entered. I love the way that I can hit directories, commands, and web sites with it. I want the MSN Desktop Search to do this!.
So I am begging, please have a switch or prefix for the msn desktop search to parse commands like the address bar. For example, say that text that is preceded by a minus sign would be parsed just the way the address bar would handle it. Please... when that occurs I can get rid of my old address bar and free up that wonderful taskbar space.
Anybody with me?