I know that Launchy has won the hearts of many Windows users out there as being one of the best applications launchers available. The good news is that it’s not a Windows-only program anymore! Launchy 2.1.1 was just released today, and with it comes full support for Linux (both KDE and GNOME desktops). How cool is that?
I’ve been reading mixed thoughts around the Internet. It seems as though most people are satisfied with how GNOME Do works, which kinda clones Mac OS X’s extremely popular QuickSilver app. GNOME Do doesn’t really stack up to what QuickSilver is capable of yet, but it’s definitely gaining ground. Launchy, on the other hand, has the benefit of having a Windows-compatible version, which means anyone using both Windows and Linux will be able to enjoy the familiarity of a single launcher in both operating systems.
The new version of Launchy doesn’t just add Linux support either. Here’s a complete list of the changes in Launchy 2.1.1:
- Added Linux support! (KDE and Gnome both work, possibly others)
- Added Google Calculator plugin (gcalc)
- Added configurable default search to weby (all searches with no results default to google)
- “/” and “\” now tab complete while file browsing
- Added rescue mode to recover lost windows or forgotten hotkeys (in Linux run “launchy rescue” or use the start menu in windows)
- Minimum transparency set to 15%
- Searches are even faster and the catalog uses slightly less memory
- Bug Fixes:
- 2.11 fixes an upgrade check bug found in 2.1
- Fixed the database update timer
- Fixed centering problem when multiple monitors in use
- Fixed the url encoding problem, e.g. googling for “c#” now works
I’m really happy to see Launchy make its way onto another operating system, and if other apps follow suit switching from Windows to Linux might not be as difficult for new users.
Some Distro’s like linux mint include gnome-do by default. But you really need version 0.5 of DO which is a huge improvement over 0.4.
No doubt launchy is a brilliant app. Also being open source, it is serious competition to Gnome-do.
I’m sure a lot of distributions will be including Gnome Do in the future because it’s definitely a nice addition to the operating system, especially with 0.5 as you pointed out. I’m curious whether Linux users will start using Launchy of Gnome Do?
The best thing that could happen to Linux, tried gnome-do but wasn’t overly impressed.
I use and love Launchy on Windows but I don’t see the point with Linux. I keep a terminal window open and the shell allows me to start everything easily with tab-completion, complex commands if necessary…
Exactly the same thing I was thinking about. I just press Alt+F2 to quickly bring up the run dialog and starting typing away. The run dialog will complete what it thinks I am trying to launch like for instance I start typing “fire” and ‘firefox’ appears.
I mean don’t get me wrong Launchy is cool for Windows but I don’t know if it’s really needed for Linux.
It’s not just about launching applications though. The plugins help make it more powerful, such as performing a calculation using Google Calculator.