What do you want to see in a launcher app?

[Gianni]

Im currently working on a new launcher called Visua Launcher. VL Is going to be aimed at the people who want to customize almost every aspect about the launcher to look the best and most impressive. So since I want to have a competitive launcher I need actual clie launcher replacement users to tell me what they would like to see in a new launcher. Ideas, suggestions, anything positive is welcome in this thread. And if you are going to post some idea, please explain what you mean by it in detail.
Thanks.

Oh, any used ideas will be noted in the copywrite credits. :)

[rhart00]

I have been compiling a list of things that would be nice in a launcher for a couple months now every time one pops in my head. I think I have some good ones. Do you have an email address that I could send some ideas to? thanks

best of luck

Ryan

[Gianni]

Just post them in here, that was the whole point of the thread so everyone could discuss the ideas.

[LaStigmata]

Well.......If you took ZLauncher and well, did nothing to it.................That would be a good launcher.

[rhart00]

Originally posted by LaStigmata
Well.......If you took ZLauncher and well, did nothing to it.................That would be a good launcher.

I agree

[timw_de]

What about the ability to place icons left or right justified, seemed to be on the ZLauncher wish list too

[LaStigmata]

Originally posted by timw_de
What about the ability to place icons left or right justified, seemed to be on the ZLauncher wish list too

Not important to me. It's getting where I do not even use Icons anymore and I pref. to have ZLauncher start on a empty tab.

[Gianni]

Originally posted by rhart00


I agree *sigh* No you dont. If you did, you wouldnt have replied saying you right down all these things in what you want in a luancher. If you were completley satisfied with zlauncher then you wouldnt write down anything.

So no one wants a better launcher?

[minnaarpieters]

I am currently a very happy SJ 20 user - it is really incredible finding things on the web that make my Clie more useful. However, I got to admit I love the Hi Res screen. Problem with older Launchers were that they did not really use the Hi Res screen to its full potential. I recently downloaded Zlauncher and Silverscreen. I found that Silverscreen is actually more useful because of the Ticker, and it looks cool. However, I found that I stuck to Z Launcher because of only one reason. If you select "Zoom Icons" in the prefs, those icons look SOOOO pretty. They take a while to display if you scroll about, but they simply look awesome. It would be great to get a app that has these lovely hires icons and a ticker - cool.

[a0rez]

Hi

Have you seen Rondo Annesso? It is a launcher that relies on the jog dial heavily for launching programs. Someone at Nxt's Clie Club has created a patch that allows for a near 100% english translation but it still has issues.

If you could use that as a design reference but make it full 320*320 I'd appreciate it. I'll post after work and upload a picture of what I believe to be a awesome launcher. It is based heavily on Rondo.

Link to Rondo ScreenShot
<a href="http://homepage1.nifty.com/abby/PalmTech/RonDo/images/HRBG3.gif">Screenshot</a>

Link to Rondo's Page
<a href="http://homepage1.nifty.com/abby/PalmTech/RonDo/annesso_trial.html">Homepage</a>

a0

[KCoram]

What I want is something more akin to Window's "Start Menu". I want to tap my 'home" icon and have a popup window like McPhling's appear. In it, I want a mix of applications and application categories. My most commonly used apps I'd stick on the first menu, and the other ones I'd like to pull off of sub-menus.

I'd want to be able to stick applications in more than one category, without having to make a Shortcutz shortcut. As a PowerRun user, I don't care as much about being able to launch applications from the card; if they are on the card, I'm using a PowerRun stub to start them up anyway.

I want to be able to put Launchable databases in the menu(s) as well, for those apps I'd like to quickly fire up with a specific database.

Being able to put DAs in, like I can with McPhling, would be a very nice bonus.

Basically, I don't want to have to switch to a launcher application just to be able to switch to another application. I can only get so far with McPhling favorite apps, the hard buttons, and WonderSilk buttons ... I want "instant" access to ALL of my applications!!

Oh, and this has to work on my NX.

[hherbzilla]

Originally posted by LaStigmata
Well.......If you took ZLauncher and well, did nothing to it.................That would be a good launcher. I'm also happy with what ZLauncher provides today. I like having ZL on my Clie although I honestly don't use it too much. I launch the majority of my apps using PopUp Favorites. However, when I need them, I like having some of the features/look/feel available in ZL.

[rhart00]

Originally posted by KCoram
What I want is something more akin to Window's "Start Menu". I want to tap my 'home" icon and have a popup window like McPhling's appear. In it, I want a mix of applications and application categories. My most commonly used apps I'd stick on the first menu, and the other ones I'd like to pull off of sub-menus.


get a PPC if you want windows start menu and setup. I personally think it doesn't work well on the small screen of pdas.

[Gianni]

PDAs screens are larger......I got an Ipaq right here....

[wellsjs]

In two words or less . . . clean code! ;)

I think too often developers get caught up in the "keep up with the Joneses" race to "out-dazzle" their competitors, and keep adding features while not concentrating on making what they've got bug free!

YiShow, as far as I'm concerned, has all the features I can think that I need in a launcher. Now I would prefer Mr. Yi Bing concentrate on eliminating bugs and other apps compatibility issues.

My two cents for the day! ;)

[Gianni]

Just remember, if it doesnt appeal to the customer no one would buy it. So you go for the razzle-dazzle first. :D

[zeke87]

About Rondo - it would be totally cool to have a 320x320 Rondo like app that had good looking Icons.

Would be awesome so that when I'm in my launcher, I take it out, I only have to hit, like say, my back button, bring up the app, and then scroll to select what I want.

Only other things on the screen needed would maybe be a power button and lock button, something simple like that.

i would pay for an app like that.

[zeke87]

forgot my password :)

[*YellowRose*]

Originally posted by zeke87
Would be awesome so that when I'm in my launcher, I take it out, I only have to hit, like say, my back button, bring up the app, and then scroll to select what I want. Sounds like you're describing the 'new'&nbsp;NX launcher to me . . .

[zipslack]

Here's my two cents...

My perfect launcher would be Megasoft's old LauncherLight with high-res and VFS support and more standard scrollbars. Small, fast, easy -- fell in love with the style and operation, looked crappy on the Clie and didn't have enough tab room.

In case you haven't figured it out, I prefer small and fast with side tabs and click-and-hold style of operation (or the directional-slide method LauncherLight used). I would prefer to have things like a file manager, doc reader, and image-viewer as seperate programs. Skinning isn't really even a big issue for me. That being said, I'm currently using YiShow....go figure. CRS-Launcher might be good if they add VFS support.