Ever had a look on LaunchBar? It provides two crucial things:
- Typed string trigger with auto-learning, and the auto-learning is really good, which is what makes the difference
- Single-Modifier-Tap launchers for all major functions (search, snippets, send)
Many folks miss out on the second point: LB becomes really powerful only once you start launching its functions via Modifier Taps. (Of course, you could also press something like ⌥Space, but why should you? That you could also do with Alfred or KM.)
Calling my snippet via Ctrl<two letters> isn’t really much slower than typing <trigger char><two letters> in Typinator or KM.
I shortly explained it here:
But there are many other thraeds on this forum about LB vs KM vs Alfred vs whatnot.
Anyway, with LB I don’t have any hotkey problems at all. And if you are really into static things, you can still set a fixed abbreviation for anything.
You can switch keyboard layouts with one keystroke. The OS even has a special shortcut for that, previous or next. (See Shortcuts in Prefs)
Already long before Text Expander’s subscription price model I preferred Typinator. It was always hazzle-free and quick. IIRC, Text Expander always tended to have different issues, but don’t ask me what it was. Maybe others have better memory than me.
So, the change of Text Expander to the subscription price model was never an issue for me. They tried to promote their descending software to first level via subscription. This was only a thing for people who were engaged with Text Expander, because e.g. they had a huge library, or for people who thought Text Expander was the best (or even only) thing.
In normal-day-usage I don’t use either, since LB’s Ctrl-Tap to invoke my snippets is enough for me. Sometimes I have Typinator running when I’m on a text with many repeating terms. (I work as technical writer/editor, user manuals and such.) But that’s text-based.
For correction, the OS’s auto correction isn’t too bad, though sometimes aggravating. But compare it with MS-Word’s correction. Word, at least in German, is insisting on plain wrong things. It is ridiculous compared to Apple’s (still very improvable) auto-correction.
BTW, Typinator also comes with correction dictionaries, just in case.
No. I think this is a constant challenge that has been imposed on us. Comparable to finding the meaning of life, or such. Probably more important.