Pros of qlmarkdown

• Focused specifically on Markdown preview, potentially offering more specialized features
• Lightweight and simple to install, with minimal dependencies
• Actively maintained with recent updates

Cons of qlmarkdown

• Limited to Markdown files only, while quick-look-plugins covers multiple file types
• May lack some advanced features or customization options available in the broader plugin collection
• Requires separate installation and management from other Quick Look plugins

Code Comparison

qlmarkdown:

- (NSString *)commandLineForPreviewingURL:(NSURL *)url {
    return [NSString stringWithFormat:@"/usr/local/bin/multimarkdown \"%@\"",
            [url path]];
}

quick-look-plugins (example from QLColorCode):

- (NSData *)dataForFileAtPath:(NSString *)path {
    NSString *command = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@ -f html \"%@\"",
                         [[NSBundle bundleForClass:[self class]] pathForResource:@"highlight" ofType:@""],
                         [path stringByReplacingOccurrencesOfString:@"\"" withString:@"\\\""]];
    FILE *fp = popen([command UTF8String], "r");
    // ... (additional code)
}

The code snippets show different approaches to generating preview content, with qlmarkdown using a simpler command-line invocation and quick-look-plugins (QLColorCode example) employing a more complex method for syntax highlighting.

Pros of qlstephen

• Focused on a specific file type (plain text and source code files without extensions)
• Lightweight and simple to use
• Actively maintained with recent updates

Cons of qlstephen

• Limited functionality compared to quick-look-plugins
• Requires manual installation and setup
• May not support as wide a range of file types

Code Comparison

qlstephen (Objective-C):

- (NSString *)pathForResource:(NSString *)name ofType:(NSString *)ext inDirectory:(NSString *)subpath
{
    return [[NSBundle bundleForClass:[self class]] pathForResource:name ofType:ext inDirectory:subpath];
}

quick-look-plugins (Shell script):

brew install qlcolorcode qlstephen qlmarkdown quicklook-json qlimagesize suspicious-package apparency quicklookase qlvideo

The code comparison shows that qlstephen is a native Objective-C plugin, while quick-look-plugins is a collection of plugins installed via Homebrew. quick-look-plugins offers a more comprehensive solution with multiple plugins for various file types, whereas qlstephen focuses on a specific use case.

quick-look-plugins provides an easier installation process and a wider range of functionality out of the box. However, qlstephen may be preferred for users who only need support for plain text and source code files without extensions, offering a more lightweight and focused solution.

Pros of QuickLook

• Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Extensible plugin system for adding new file type support
• Active development and regular updates

Cons of QuickLook

• Requires installation and setup
• May have performance overhead compared to native Quick Look
• Limited built-in file type support compared to macOS Quick Look

Code Comparison

QuickLook (C#):

public class Plugin : IViewer
{
    public int Priority => 0;
    public bool CanHandle(string path) => ...
    public void View(string path, ViewerContext context) => ...
}

quick-look-plugins (no code, as it's a curated list of plugins)

Summary

QuickLook aims to bring macOS-like Quick Look functionality to Windows and other platforms, offering an extensible plugin system. It provides cross-platform support but requires installation and may have performance trade-offs. quick-look-plugins, on the other hand, is a curated list of plugins for macOS's native Quick Look feature, offering a wider range of built-in file type support without additional setup. The choice between the two depends on the user's operating system and specific needs for quick file previews.