LauncherX

[djblois]

I just read that launcherX was promised to have other features they did not include in the product does anybody know what these features are and if they still have plans to include them????

[hupokadsfa]

I have been reading posts from the Launcher X Yahoo group and the best response any of them have received is the ever enigmatic: "Sometime Soon".

[frasej]

Right now, the author is very busy with support questions and hasn't had time to work on the next version. What is planned (next release?) is
1. Homer button - McPhling type of thing
2. Active skins - being able to have pictures in the background, being able to place buttons anywhere with the ability to modify their actions.


I'm not sure what else is planned. I do know that he has promised that he will, eventually, provide a program to make creating skins a simple task, instead of having to use CodeWarrior.

[kmrdeva]

Naah, I paid for LauncherX, but now I'm trying out ZLauncher.

ZZTECH gives great tech support, and I'm just on trial mode here.. Will buy, will buy....

[jbarr]

Fist off, this is not meant to slam ZLauncher in any way. ZLauncher has its following, it is feature-packed, and support is terrific...

...but for some reason, I just can't seem to like it. I know that Launchers start just as many holy wars as many other topics, and unfortunatly, I am biased, having used Launch 'em, Launcher iii, and the original LauncherX beta for a LONG time on several different Palms.

My main reason for LauncherX being my first choice is that LauncherX handles storing and running apps on a MS very elegantly and seamlessly. Just move apps into the "/PALM/launcher" directory (or any other directory that you specify in the Memory Card Path preferences), and their icons are replaced by icons with little Memory Sticks in the lower corner. You can then move them to any category you wany by dragging to a different tab. The cool thing is that if you remove the Memory Stick, the icons disappear and then re-appear when you re-insert the Memory Stick. You always know what is installed and available. If you have multiple Memory Sticks, the launcher screen only shows what you have installed or available on the installed stick. The integration has been so seamless and effortless that I forget that I am using a Memory Stick to store most of my apps.

I understand that there may be some HotSync issues (thus the need for "shortcuts") but I have yet to have an app that didn't work properly. I don't use shortcuts, so I can't speak to them.


I can live without the "Homer" (I use McPhling) and I can live without backgrounds (I personally find them distracting.) If these and other features are added, that would be great, but I would hate to see too much more go into it and cause feature bloat.

Anyway, YMMV, and your tastes may vary, but I just can't seem to give up LauncherX!

[exiii]

Originally posted by frasej
Right now, the author is very busy with support questions and hasn't had time to work on the next version. What is planned (next release?) is
1. Homer button - McPhling type of thing
2. Active skins - being able to have pictures in the background, being able to place buttons anywhere with the ability to modify their actions.


I'm not sure what else is planned. I do know that he has promised that he will, eventually, provide a program to make creating skins a simple task, instead of having to use CodeWarrior. Perhaps Benc should take a pile of that cash he's pulling in from us and hire a couple of his low-wage earning countrymen to help with the support emails. He's not even responding to critical issues from his paying customers.

[kmrdeva]

Sticking with ZLauncher then, ZZTECH's support is superb!! :)

[kennyd]

I have registered version of LauncherX.  I'm also an old LauncherIII user. 

 When I switched from LIII to LX I really did appreciate the upgrade ...


a file browser as nice as McFile with gadget accessibility,
more customizable text & icons,
more gadgets,
the ability to store apps in the card in as many custom directories as you choose
customizable skins


 ...but found nothing lacking in LauncherIII in respect to functionality. LauncherIII was already truly VFS aware as one of the above posts brings out.  LIII went beyond the VFS awareness that the built in launcher was capable of.  The built in provides a single catagory that houses all of your apps stored on the card.  The apps stored in that catagory are not capable of being catagorized beyond that point. 


A TRIBUTE TO LAUNCHERIII

VFS ENHANCED:  With LIII a whole new idea was developed (and as far as I know LIII really is the pioneer of this interface).  LIII enables all apps launched from the card to be recognized as if they are stored in ram so that catagorization is absolutely unhindered and seemless.  You do not need to make a shortcut for the simple purpose of catagorizing an app.  This is development that most of the more recent additions to the launcher list have not yet caught up to.  LIII took the bar even higher with shortcuts (another pioneering point of development). 

SHORT CUTS:  With shortcuts you can make every app stored on a card even more recognizable than the already pioneered VFS enhancement mentioned above.  Now all of those apps stored on the card are seen in every respect as being in RAM.  Desktop conduits are now recognizing the apps on the card, and system enhancements such as swithcheroo, EasyLaunch, and SilkHack see the apps also. 

I'm not trying to slam any other launcher with this post, but just offering up a level of grattitude to Benc for pioneering the trails that others are now riding on.  And mentioning some features that other launchers will need to develop before they have really caught my attention. 

I have also downloaded ZLauncher, set it up and used it, just to see what the rave has been all about.  It became evident to me that each app is only slightly similar but distinct enough to call them different machines.  LX and ZL do not think alike.  I choose LX not only for reason of the features listed above but for its speed (on my SJ30 at normal speed LX is much faster at not only loading, but also switching tabs), stability (I personally have not had one issue with LX aside from adding it to the SwitchDash exception list, not abnormal), and interface (in other words it's thinking process and look).  Skins really are neat to look at, but the graphics cause me to fumble around too long looking for a file.  That coupled with an already encumbered launcher make ZLaunchers added features disinteresting to me, but I can understand why backgrounds are important to others and can't blame anyone for raving about the cost and support for ZLauncher in coparison to LX, the later I can not even comment on because I haven't had a need to contact Benc. I upgraded to LX for $4, but I personally would have stuck with LIII over ZLauncher up to this point.  Maybe if I were buying my first launcher I would've gone for Z.  But functionality and ease at this point are more important to me than graphics.  There's obviously nothing wrong with either, but anyone comparing to two launchers should consider both sides of the post.