KeyCue - 4.5

I have been using KeyCue for three years on Tiger and Leopard with no problems and the latest version allows me to see all my application and QuicKeys shortcuts at the same time, which is brilliant. QuicKeys became an indispensable utility for me back in the Classic OS days and remains so now. KeyCue is the only practical way to quickly see what shortcuts are available in any given context across the application, system and QuicKeys domains simultaneously, in an attractive and easy way - well worth the fee for me.

I tried KeyCue some time ago but it didn't work in Photoshop so I stopped using it. Then I discovered an equivalent solution built into OS X. Check the Keyboard & Mouse preferences; under the Keyboard Shortcuts tab you will find, in Keyboard Navigation, the option to "Move focus to the menu bar," among other things. The default shortcut for this is Control-F2. It will highlight the menu bar, beginning with the Apple Menu. You can then navigate left and right through application menu items using the left and right arrow keys and move up and down the menus using the up and down arrow keys. These menus will show you the available keyboard shortcuts and you can activate them directly by selecting a menu item and hitting the Return key or the spacebar. If you open one menu and leave it open, you can move to the next menu and it, too, will be open. Thus you can move quickly and easily through all available menus - and see their shortcuts, if that's what you're looking for. Not only is this solution compatible with every application on your computer (that has menu bar items), it is easy to use and it doesn't cost a penny extra.

Now some people may prefer to use KeyCue, and that's fine, but it seems to me a utility that you have to pay so much for should provide a service not already available in the operating system - or at least implement that service better than the OS does, which is the case with some third-party products. Personally I see no advantage to KeyCue whatsoever. If I'm wrong, feel free to enlighten me.

I am working on a G5 PPC under 10.5.10. I find when I run KeyCue 4.0 that the following widgets will not run (i.e., will crash immediately & repeatedly when started): InerziaUptime, Maintidgit, RadarInMotion. When I quit KeyCue, the 3 all run indefinitely. Can this be fixed?

KK

With FF I get "No shortcuts are available right now", unless I select "indicate shortcuts in (Apple) menu".

Also, the delay problem is a bit annoying, since I'd like the menu to popup quickly AND be able to enter the shortcut immediately for those I already know.

Also, WAY too expensive. I'd suggest you lower the price to less than 10Euros, and you'll sell alot more.

I got KeyCue as part of the Macitility Productivity Bundle. While I probably wouldn't have bought it as a standalone utility, it's a very useful program, well implemented and elegantly done.