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4.7 star rating
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What is the best alternative to Launchy?
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Fluent Search
All
7
Experiences
Pros
6
Specs
Top
Pro
Customizable
Most things can be tweaked, including the interface, the default search engines, the prioritization of search results, the search tags, and more.
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Pro
Modern
The developer works for Microsoft and is already developing with an eye toward Windows 11 (while maintaining functionality under Windows 10)
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Pro
Powerful filename search
It has a built-in indexer, but can also use others (including Everything)
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Pro
Active development
The developer is very responsive to the community, and releases new versions on a regular basis
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Pro
Free
There are no ads, and no paid version
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Pro
Plugin system
Users can develop their own plugins to extend the functionality
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows
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Experiences
FREE
16
0
Gnome-Pie
All
3
Experiences
Pros
3
Top
Pro
Customizable
Ability to customize launchers (pies) and have multiple launchers.
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Pro
Simple to use
Simple GUI that can be launched at any moment using keybinds.
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Pro
Binding options
It recognizes the buttons on my mouse so I can bind my trigger key to a mouse button.
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10
0
DockbarX
All
4
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Easily customized
DockbarX has inbuilt settings that allow the user to easily customize the look of the dock, from changing the text color to the background color.
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Con
Not actively updated
Less than a dozen updates since 2014: https://github.com/M7S/dockbarx/commits/master
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Pro
Great plugin to help blend in to XFCE4 panel
DockbarX has an available plugin called "DockBarX Xfce4 Panel plugin" that allows DockbarX to blend in seamlessly with the XFCE4 panel, which is great for XFCE users due to the limited options of the default panel.
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Pro
Easily the best Win 7 taskbar functionality
If you want a combined launcher/manager, a la Win 7, this is it.
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30
1
Krunner
All
9
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
1
Specs
Top
Pro
Opens folders/files also
Just by typing name of file or folder, it will give recommendations
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Con
There are few plugins/"runners", and some do not work as they are old
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Pro
Extensible with plugins
Krunner can be extended with the use of "runners" which are essentially plugins for the app launcher to allow for extra functions.
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Pro
Fast
As it is written in Qt QtQuick using QML.
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Pro
Lots of handy features
Such as a fully featured calculator, file opening, browser functions, currency conversion, date/time functions, etc.
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Pro
Great integration with Plasma, developed by KDE
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Pro
Can be used to open websites
By just typing an URL into the text box users can have the site open in their default launcher.
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Pro
I'm able to find open tabs from browsers with KRunner which is very nice
Even supports edge browser.
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Specs
Publisher:
KDE
File Size:
1.4MiB
System resource usage:
Low
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Experiences
FREE
25
1
Find and Run Robot
All
6
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Launches apps quickly
Due to an adaptive search that caches users searches, once an item has been launched previously it will be found quicker the next time one want to search and use it.
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Con
Quite old fashioned look and it isn't very customizable
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Pro
Extendable through plugins
There are plugins available for the launcher such as a clipboard manager or a calculator, all things that add to the usefulness of the launcher depending on one's needs.
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Con
A bit slower than other launchers
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Pro
Powerful alias functionality
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Pro
Has a calculator with history tape
The calculator is available as a plugin for Find and Run Robot. Other options, like Executor, lacks this.
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25
1
WinLaunch
All
6
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Works with anyone's workflow
You can do anything, from launching applications, to adding, grouping and removing them without using the keyboard. There are also keyboard shortcuts available for those that do not like using the mouse, either way the app will work with whatever workflow works best for the user.
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Con
Sometimes buggy
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Pro
Fast access and setup
It enables you to launch any application with very few clicks. If you organize your apps well, you get them in one single click. You may need two or three at most if you need to open a folder or move to another page. HotCorners is a great idea, allowing you to view WinLaunch without even clicking. Even setting up your apps in it is fast and intuitive, with simple clicks and drag-n-drops.
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Con
Inconvenient manual setup
After installed the first time you pull the launcher up there will be no apps contained within, this means every user will have to manually add the apps they would like in the launcher, which is time consuming. An auto population feature would be more convenient, sadly there is none.
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Pro
Anyone can use it
It is free to use as it is donation-funded.
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Con
No customizable icons or folders, no option to add single drives, no tool to make themes
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Free
189
5
Bayden SlickRun
All
10
Experiences
Pros
7
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Can handle multiple tasks
It doesn't only run apps with the config you want, it also can execute many commands, automate tasks and run batches to execute more tasks.
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Con
Sometimes Bayden SlickRun seems to be off-line
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Pro
Can be used portable for a USB drive or cloud share
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Con
Manually have to set up what applications it will be able to launch
It only supports the applications you add (those you use really frequently) with the shortcut of your choice.
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Pro
Can be set to be invisible
For those that do not like the looks of the app it can be set to be invisible so users do not have to look at it.
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Con
Windows only
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Pro
Option to pass an argument via $W$ parameter
Example: Set the filename or URL to execute to a web browser app, and enter this link in the Parameters text box. When the magic word is executed, a "Dynamic input" dialog is displayed. The text entered in that dialog is passed to $W$.
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Pro
Use eyedropper to associate magic word with running windows app
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Pro
Use @multi@ to execute multiple magic words and/or multiple apps, open folders, etc.
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Pro
Create magic words that launch apps, open folders, open web pages
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Experiences
$0.00
5
0
Listary
All
4
Experiences
Pros
3
Specs
Top
Pro
It's also a launcher
Once you find the file you need, you can launch it or use custom actions.
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Pro
Search as you type everywhere
You can start typing on the desktop or any folders and it'll just search for you.
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Pro
Supports other explorers
It supports not only Windows Explorer but also XYplorer, Directory Opus, Total Commander and all the other explorer alternatives.
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Specs
Platforms:
Windows
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77
5
Plank
All
5
Experiences
Pros
3
Cons
2
Top
Pro
Simple and minimal
Plank is a good choice for those looking for something simple that just does its job well. There is no UI for options built in to the dock as to change anything those options will have to be accessed through a text file.
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Con
No right click menu for some apps outside of elementary OS
Other file explorers and terminals (those not found in the default elementary OS) do not have any right click menus for the dock meaning it is impossible to launch multiple windows for certain file explorers or terminals.
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Pro
Solid and lightweight
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Con
Poor workplace awareness (cycling windows)
When configured to only show apps on current workspace, cycling an app open on multiple workspaces will switch workspace focus, update the dock and often leave you to cycle another app.
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Pro
Third party themer available
An additional third party app has been developed that allows theming the dock without the use of any extra resources. This is great for those that are not using elementary OS and the elementary tweaks extra.
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274
13
Enso Portable
All
7
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
3
Top
Pro
Extensible in Python
GChristensen recently upgraded Enso to Python 3.7, a great improvement over the original v2.5. You can write custom Enso commands in Python through its new web interface (or your favorite editor once you know where to put the files.) There's even an install command to pip install any Python package you need from PyPI. The sky's the limit.
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Con
Comes with a reboot command
And a shutdown command too. Installing these is optional, and I recommend that you don't, especially if you use the quasimode. Unless you like losing your work.
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Pro
Optional quasimode
Letting go of CapsLock just feels faster than hitting enter (sometimes too fast: be sure to disable the reboot command before turning this on!) Even with quasimode enabled, you can make it modal for that command by tapping Alt.
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Con
No message log
According to Raskin's philosophy which inspired Enso, a pop up "dialog" is a bad design. The OK button is a useless input that interrupts your flow. Enso's pop up messages, therefore, are transparent and quickly fade away on their own (like Android Toast messages). Unfortunately, this also means you can easily miss them if you're not paying attention. Raskin's solution was to keep a message log you can refer back to, but Humanized never got around to implementing that for Enso.
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Pro
Easily teach the app to open specific apps and sites
There is a learning function to the app that allows the user to teach the app to open specific items by typing "learn as open" and then clicking on the item one wants it to learn to open.
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Con
Usage tends to be slowed by the caps lock
Function of the app relies on the caps lock key being pressed to enter commands, which can slow some people down by having to hold that key down when they are typing commands.
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Pro
Can go to existing open windows
By using the "go" command users can switch to their already open windows making this a bit of a window navigator as well as a launcher.
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Experiences
$0.00
9
2
Rofi
All
18
Experiences
Pros
11
Cons
6
Specs
Top
Pro
Can run commands
e.g.: <code>run: st toxic</code> Runs a tox client in the terminal emulator "st". <code>run: maim ~/Images/screenshots</code> take a screenshot with "maim" and save it to given location.
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Top
Con
One of the most poorly documented launchers for new users
Challenge: Install Rofi and google how to actually start or use it. Sure, there's plenty of Arch users screaming about dmenu, showing off editing of config files, integrating it with i3 or this or that, but how do we actually: 1) Start it. 2) Use it. Rofi seemed intriguing, because it was ranked #1 on slant, but it may be better to use a third party dock in Xfce, because there's simply no resource on how to use Rofi for a complete newbie.
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Top
Pro
Minimalist design, yet can use customizable themes
Also it's easy to make use of your own "plugin" (scripts).
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Con
Lacks a default "blank slate" launch behavior
Unlike Ulauncher, Albert and similar launcher there's no generic "enable everything" launch behavior. You can configure Rofi to do almost this, but it's whitelist based, so you'd have to reconfigure it if you install or uninstall a plugin, and Rofi has to know if the plugin should be part of the combi mode or treated as an isolated mode.
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Pro
Case insensitive
Instead of having to worry about case sensitive characters, you can use caps or lowercase wherever you please without causing any issues.
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Con
Lacks conventions for plugins
Some other launchers have stricter plugin/extension APIs, making the plugin behavior more consistent. For example plugins in Rofi respond to your choice differently (at least by default). Some output the result to stdout (like the calc mode) and others add the result to the clipboard (the emoji mode/plugin). And there's no API for plugins to add their own config option. They can check your CLI arguments, but that's not a perfect solution as different plugins could implement the same argument to mean different things.
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Pro
Customisable
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Con
Lacks keywords to switch between modes
You can switch between modes with ctrl+tab by default, but if you have a lot of modes this is slow.
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Pro
Great keybindings
They seem to be emacs based.
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Con
Issues on Wayland
If you use Wayland, then Rofi may fail to grab keypresses or inputs, or may fail altogether. Works fine if you switch to X11.
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Pro
Resource efficient
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Con
Issues when Caps Lock is active
When typing with Caps Lock activated, it's impossible to use Backspace. Rofi eventually freezes in this scenario.
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Pro
Simple
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Pro
No resource usage when you're not using it
Other launchers often run in the background to be prepared for showing the launcher. Rofi doesn't do this.
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Pro
Clipboard history extension
Greenclip adds clipboard manager functionality.
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Pro
Greatly maintained
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Pro
Easily switch windows without mouse
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Specs
Publisher:
Dave Davenport
File Size:
529KiB
System resource usage:
Low
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Experiences
FREE
199
27
Docky
All
6
Experiences
Pros
5
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Panel mode
For those that do not like the OSX dock look there is also a panel mode included that pushed the apps to the left side of the panel and elongates the dock to fill the entire bottom of the screen, just as a regular OS panel would.
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Top
Con
Removing Docky icon is not as easy as it should be
gconf editor is required in order to remove the Docky icon from the dock, which seems unnecessary as the setting exists, it should be in the app settings instead of hidden away in gconf.
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Top
Pro
Drag and drop apps to the dock
Users can easily drag and drop apps to the dock for easy launching. Any app that is added will stay on the dock until removed manually. This makes for a great way to have all of ones most used apps in one place.
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Pro
Many themes
There are several themes installed with the dock by default that aare easily switched in the settings. What is even better is that there are many themes available online for download as well. With the best part being thatt he themes are simple .svg files that are easily editable in Inkscape to customize to how one wants.
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Pro
Highly Customisable.
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Pro
Plugin Docklets
Docky provides simple applications that run inside of the dock such as a clock, weather forecaster and CPU monitor. These provide an easy way to see information without having to open up separate apps.
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123
19
Ulauncher
All
17
Experiences
Pros
13
Cons
3
Specs
Top
Pro
Simple
Ulauncher comes with very reasonable defaults, looks good and just works.
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Top
Con
Extensions store is confusing, lots of redundant extensions.
There are dozens of extensions, which is good, but as an average user it is hard to find what you are looking for. It is unclear to me how updating plugins work.
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Top
Pro
Fast
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Con
Needs more posibilities for extensions
Currently, extensions can run only when you type their alias and <space>. There is no way to see results from multiple extensions at once. The output is also limited just to rows.
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Top
Pro
Allows custom shortcuts
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Con
Does not easily fit into a customized desktop without full GTK3 CSD support
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Pro
Themeable
ULauncher supports themes and comes with a good supply on install but more can also be made.
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Pro
Supports fuzzy search
You can enter app name with a typo and Ulauncher will still be able to find it.
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Pro
Supports extensions in Python
With Ulauncher you can easily add and update third party extensions. From kill process to windows switching, many of them work very well. The extension API is documented and if you know Python you can create and share your own extensions.
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Top
Pro
Actively maintained
Unlike Albert or others, it is actually being maintained.
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Top
Pro
Good extension ecosystem
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Pro
Good look
Ulauncher looks modern & can be customized with many themes.
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Top
Pro
Direct plugin install from GitHub
Can fork, customize, and install instantly.
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Pro
Extensions are really easy to write by yourself
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Top
Pro
Quick search
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Top
Pro
Able to launch Kdialog, Zenity and Bash scripts
Extensions are easily created. Python script is all open to see. Not compiled like some.
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Specs
Platforms:
Linux
License:
GPL-3
Price:
FREE
Publisher:
Aleksandr Gornostal
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217
32
Liberkey
All
9
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
5
Top
Pro
detailed info using liberkey sync
The online catalog will adapt to only show what apps you don't have installed on your LiberKey, and apps on your LiberKey that have an update available. You will be able to access detailed reports on the installations performed on your LiberKey, whether it be installing an application suite, installing applications from the online catalog or updating your applications. You will be able to view information on these recently installed or updated applications, and automatically open your LiberKey menu to these applications. A detailed changelog of your LiberKey's software - you'll be able to see what was improved and what was fixed between the version of the LiberKey software you were on, and the software you just updated to. A summary of your LiberKey's details (last patch applied, version, language, amount of apps installed, etc.) Online options; the ability to change how much your LiberKey interacts with the website.
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Top
Con
no option to remove auto categories
its auto category are created everytime new apps are installed, currently there is no option to disable this features
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Top
Pro
grid list toggle
There is toggle to show apps on grid or list view
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Con
add apps outside library need manual configuration
if you add portableapps outside libraries, you need to manually add them using add/remove program feature on liberkey
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Top
Pro
high customization
you can customize everything including themes, behaviour, and many more
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Top
Con
incomplete libraries
compared to portableapps, it still got lack of apps provided
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Top
Pro
Has file association tool
very useful to associate portableapps to system
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Top
Con
apps library need to open web browser
it doesnt has its own library browser interface
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Con
runs slow
interface has delay around 2-3 seconds on every execution
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Experiences
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1
0
GNOME Do
All
3
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
1
Top
Con
Has not been updated in a while
With the last update being dated Jan. 2014 development seems to be at a standstill.
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Top
Pro
Plenty of plugins
By using the many available plugins Gnome Do can become a powerhouse of combined tools in one easily launchable and usable application.
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Pro
Themeable
Users can easily customize the looks of Gnome DO with the available themes in the settings of the app..
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6
2
Synapse
All
7
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
3
Top
Con
Synapse is an abandoned project
The latest release was 7 years ago and the Launchpad page is a ghost town
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Top
Pro
Rock solid
Synapse is pretty rock solid. Works as expected and launches applications fast.
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Con
Unable to search whole system
Due to Zeitgeist being used the search is not as robust as if it were using Tracker. Of course using Tracker has its own downside like battery drain, so currently there is no "best" solution.
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Top
Pro
Can run commands just as a terminal would
Users can run commands such as sudo apt-get update from within Synapse, making for a convenient way to open or run items/commands.
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Con
Bound to control+space
Due to this it interferes with common IDE layouts for recommendations. Modifying hotkeys file doesn't adjust this.
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Top
Pro
Zeitgeist powered
Synapse searches the Zeitgeist log, which tends to be a pretty quick way to do searches over other app launchers.
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Pro
Includes a Zeal plugin
Includes a Zeal plugin to make searching faster.
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Experiences
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37
11
Cairo-Dock
All
8
Experiences
Pros
4
Cons
4
Top
Con
No updates since 2016
Certainly no PPAs for modern releases of Ubuntu.
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Top
Pro
Easy to tweak and make your own themes
Drag and drop, change icons, use effects, etc. It's fun to play with. It's not a basic dock program and the GUI is good.
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Top
Con
Poor/No system theme or icon integration
Docks use their own theme, own theme colors, icons, layout's and theme engines.
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Pro
Cairo-Dock session
Users can choose to launch a stand alone Cairo-Dock session where the dock also serves as a taskbar where all apps are launchable such as in any other DE session. There is a composited version and one without.
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Top
Con
Hard/Underwhelming to configure
Cairo dock proposes a feature rich tool, tweakable to any degree. The configuration menus are at times inappropriate, shallow and uninteresting, complex to navigate, and prefab-centric. Rarely offering a satisfying preset, and always unsatisfying to tweak.
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Top
Pro
Popular and usually found and installed from a distros repo
Due to the popularity and how long Cairo-Dock has been around it is more often than not found in a distros repos, which is very convenient to get the app installed.
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Con
Can be heavy on resources for weaker systems
Cairo-Dock is more on the heavy side when compared to other docks, which is something to keep in mind for those that are on low resource systems.
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Top
Pro
Easily themed
Cairo-Dock has built in settings to install and use themes for the dock and icons. Definitely more robust in this are than most other docks available for Linux.
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Experiences
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61
24
Avant Window Navigator
All
3
Experiences
Pros
2
Cons
1
Top
Pro
Tons of plugins
AWN comes with a big selections of applets such as a CPU monitor or clock or trash bin. This means one can easily turn the docks functionality into that of a taskbar. There is even an app launcher applet that will group all of ones apps in one place just like a start menu.
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Top
Con
Project is dead
Has not been update since 2013 and has been already pulled from many repos. While it still can be installed and works as it did in 2013, no more fixes or features are expected.
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Top
Pro
Easily customized
There is a wide array of setting available to theming and customizing the dock.
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