I used FruitMenu for a long time and found it a bit cludgy. 1) It was slow to respond the first time through the menus, so I'd have to make a ritual of fanning through the folders and sub-folders after each start-up to "initialize" them; load them into RAM, or whatever it does. 2) Upgrading any app "breaks" the connection to the alias in the FruitMenu, requiring replacement of the aliases on a regular basis. 3) System upgrades would "break" the functionality, or that of APE, the supporting engine. By the time Leopard rolled around, I'd had enough and went looking for an alternative.

SUNNYMENU is much better. There are no extensions (like APE), it is always fast and responsive, and updating apps does not break the alias link -- provided the name does not change, and most don't. (Some app folders include a version number by default, but one can always remove that. The key is that the aliases work by absolute pathname, not some invisible linkage.) Try SunnyMenu byMarc Bookmeyer (lightbeingsoftware.com)

This nifty little haxie replaced my Dock.app. I like much better! Totally costumizable and works like a charm (so far...).
My only gripe is the non existing localization. (apart from french and japanese).

This is an essential navigation add-on for me. If I need to drill into my drives I can go here or though a finder window. Also allows for a menu choice of the preferences. Windowshade, another haxie is a must have too.

We all have more applications than Dock space and this is the best way to create a customizable launcher. Categories, sub-menus and organization. Nothing better in this category.

Great haxie.
Essential in my experience.

Gives you back the old "Apple menu" functionality. Totally customisable. I can't live without this!