Leap is a new Finder replacement from Ironic Software that eschews traditional directory structures in favor of search and tagging. The software is pretty smart, and groups together common file types so you can find what you're looking for in a hurry. It also allows you to add your own tags to files, and creates a 'tag cloud' that outlines what kind of files you're looking at, what folders those files are in, and what user created tags they possess. The larger the label, the more files are tagged with that (as you can see in the screenshot above I have lots of image files on my Desktop).
The iPhoto-like UI is easy to use, and really shines when the Loupe is used. The Loupe is a tool that lets you peek at the contents of supported file types without launching any additional apps. Leap is in Beta, and the Loupe's performance makes that clear. It was a little slow, and sometimes lagged when I pointed my mouse from file to file.
In addition to all its Finder abilities, you can use Leap as a replacement for Apple's built in Spotlight interface, and yes the tag cloud is right there with your Spotlight results.
Take a look at this demo movie to get a better idea of what Leap can do for you.
Leap is currently in beta, and pricing has not been announced. You will get a free license, though, if you buy Yep, a PDF organizer that Ironic sells for $34, now.
[via factoryjoe]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-18-2007 @ 8:42AM
william said...
I've never tagged my files. Spotlight does everything just fine as far as finding text or pictures according to date. Do any of you actually take time out to tag? I personally don't have time to tag my files. The only time I tag is when I'm using Flickr.
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10-18-2007 @ 8:51AM
mnit said...
I have got into the habit of naming my files as tags essentially (e.g. uni project1 cover idea2.psd, that sort of thing) so this applications approach to filing is fantastic for me. Currently I can't really find it useable due to lots of beta issues - inability to exclude Trash easily from filters for instance, meaning if I send a file to the trash, it disappears only momentarily before reappearing - and that's if the filter refreshes properly anyway - but assuming those sorts of problems get cleared up, this sort of spotlight-based filing is perfect for me.
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10-18-2007 @ 9:30AM
Alan Yeung said...
I'm really in love with Leap. I've been using it since beta 1. I always liked the company's other product Yep, but felt that only supporting PDF files was too limited. Now that Leap removes that limitation, I'm thrilled. There are still some nice features from Yep that haven't got ported over to the new app yet (like writing your tags as Spotlight comments, the create directory drop box that magically appears when you need it, etc.), and there are still some user interface wrinkles (the difference between the source list and the Finder list is a little confusing to figure out at first), but Leap really is something special. From a user-interface perspective, I think it's already head and shoulders above EagleFiler, and though it's not targeted at exactly the same feature set, it gives DevonThink a run for its money in many ways.
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10-18-2007 @ 12:37PM
Bash said...
I only see 1 of my 3 drives.. namely the main drive where os x is installed. other files where O actually keep my files are not visible. Couldn't find any help on their site.
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10-18-2007 @ 1:22PM
Alan Yeung said...
Try asking on their support group:
http://groups.google.com/group/leapformac
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10-18-2007 @ 1:26PM
Alan Yeung said...
#5, also this is a guess (I don't have a separate drive), but have you tried going to Preferences -> File Types -> Locations and adding your second drive? Leap defaults to only looking in certain locations because most people don't care about some places in their system, e.g. the CUPS documentation in /System.
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10-19-2007 @ 6:10AM
Jono said...
Looks like it uses it's own tagging system.
I would have been interested if it allowed you to use different tagging methods. For example most tagging systems use the '&' in front of tags in Spotlight comments.
If it had the option of using this tagging method & recognising these type of tags I would have found it useful.
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10-19-2007 @ 12:58PM
Samuel said...
I use window vista and rely hevily on tags - they make files far easier to manage. I would like to migrate to mac but until it supports xmp I cannot -and I find that a real drawback.
It would be good if this software recognised and allowed for xmp editing.
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