Not using Flash? You need Switch

Running your computer without Flash installed is great. No unnecessary resource hogging while browsing the web. No annoying animated web ads. Unfortunately, not everything on the web is HTML5. This is where Switch comes in.

I use Safari 99% of the time until I stumble across something that is Flash content. This happens frequently when I’m browsing Kickstarter since they are still using flash for their introduction videos (this has since changed, they are now using HTML5). When this happens, I load up Chrome (it has its own self-contained Flash plugin), and copy-paste the URL of the desired content.

Switch sits in your menubar, and can be configured to only show when you are in a web browser. Click Switch and it will take the URL you are currently viewing and open it for you in Chrome. It can do the reverse, but that isn’t quite as simple. You’ll have to left-click the menubar item and select the browser to switch back to. The default switch-to browser can be changed to Safari, Firefox or Chrome, depending on your preferences.

Since Mountain Lion, I’ve noticed Switch was using quite a lot of CPU, not sure if it is a Switch issue or something to do with Mountain Lion, but I’ve since found another way to do the same thing. If you are using the awesome app Alfred, there is a plugin called SendURL that you can use. This plugin only works if you have the Alfred Powerpack, so you can’t have the App Store version of Alfred (App Store restrictions prevent the Powerpack from working with the app). Toggle Alfred, type the keyword, which in this case is “url chrome” and hit Enter. Chrome will automatically open the URL you are viewing just like Switch.