Kill Start
Sometimes I have too many things going on on my computer and need a fresh start. I don’t want to go through every single Photoshop file, Safari tab, iChat conversation, text file, etc. to review changes and individually quit everything. I just want everything to go away. Without saving. And I want my computer to turn off. I want to start over.
Previously when I felt the overwhelming need for an immediate fresh start, I would just hold the power button in for a few seconds. This isn’t very good for your computer, though. It’s better to let each application properly quit and your disk to spin down. So I made an Automator application that does just this.
I call it Kill Start. When you run it, everything dies. No annoying dialogs. No force quitting. No waiting. No apologies. Your computer turns off, and then it turns back on. Anything you failed to save previously is lost forever. Sometimes that is the desired effect. If you ever have this desire, then Kill Start is for you.
Download version 1.0 (279k)
I feel the exact same way! Can’t wait to try this out. But how does it handle opened and unsaved files? Like an untitled and unsaved PSD, Word Doc, or draft email? Those are usually my biggest culprits when trying to fresh start.
Also “Fresh Start” would have been a much better “Glass is half full” name then “Kill Start” you masochist!
Comment by Dan — July 2, 2008 @ 9:20 pm
All untitled and unsaved items will be closed without saving.
The original name I gave the App was Fucking Die, but I thought I would clean it up for official company use. I’m usually frustrated when I run it, so I wanted something a little more serious. The icon I use for it is an axe. Hopefully future versions will have an explosion or screaming sound effect…
Comment by Mark — July 3, 2008 @ 11:08 am
Too bad i didnt come across this blog before. Great stuff you got here. Thanks.
Comment by Psychic Advice — July 12, 2008 @ 3:25 am