When comparing Enso Portable vs Bayden SlickRun, the Slant community recommends Enso Portable for most people. In the question“What are the best app launchers for Windows?” Enso Portable is ranked 12th while Bayden SlickRun is ranked 15th. The most important reason people chose Enso Portable is:
GChristensen recently upgraded Enso to Python 3.7, a great improvement over the original v2.5. You can write custom Enso commands in Python through its new web interface (or your favorite editor once you know where to put the files.) There's even an install command to pip install any Python package you need from PyPI. The sky's the limit.
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Extensible in Python
GChristensen recently upgraded Enso to Python 3.7, a great improvement over the original v2.5. You can write custom Enso commands in Python through its new web interface (or your favorite editor once you know where to put the files.) There's even an install command to pip install any Python package you need from PyPI. The sky's the limit.
Pro Optional quasimode
Letting go of CapsLock just feels faster than hitting enter (sometimes too fast: be sure to disable the reboot command before turning this on!) Even with quasimode enabled, you can make it modal for that command by tapping Alt.
Pro Easily teach the app to open specific apps and sites
There is a learning function to the app that allows the user to teach the app to open specific items by typing "learn as open" and then clicking on the item one wants it to learn to open.
Pro Can go to existing open windows
By using the "go" command users can switch to their already open windows making this a bit of a window navigator as well as a launcher.
Pro Can handle multiple tasks
It doesn't only run apps with the config you want, it also can execute many commands, automate tasks and run batches to execute more tasks.
Pro Can be used portable for a USB drive or cloud share
Pro Can be set to be invisible
For those that do not like the looks of the app it can be set to be invisible so users do not have to look at it.
Pro Option to pass an argument via $W$ parameter
Example: Set the filename or URL to execute to a web browser app, and enter this link in the Parameters text box.
When the magic word is executed, a "Dynamic input" dialog is displayed. The text entered in that dialog is passed to $W$.
Pro Use eyedropper to associate magic word with running windows app
Pro Use @multi@ to execute multiple magic words and/or multiple apps, open folders, etc.
Pro Create magic words that launch apps, open folders, open web pages
Cons
Con Comes with a reboot command
And a shutdown command too. Installing these is optional, and I recommend that you don't, especially if you use the quasimode. Unless you like losing your work.
Con No message log
According to Raskin's philosophy which inspired Enso, a pop up "dialog" is a bad design. The OK button is a useless input that interrupts your flow. Enso's pop up messages, therefore, are transparent and quickly fade away on their own (like Android Toast messages). Unfortunately, this also means you can easily miss them if you're not paying attention. Raskin's solution was to keep a message log you can refer back to, but Humanized never got around to implementing that for Enso.
Con Usage tends to be slowed by the caps lock
Function of the app relies on the caps lock key being pressed to enter commands, which can slow some people down by having to hold that key down when they are typing commands.
Con Sometimes Bayden SlickRun seems to be off-line
Con Manually have to set up what applications it will be able to launch
It only supports the applications you add (those you use really frequently) with the shortcut of your choice.