Appetizer Is A Customisable Open Source Application Launcher
Windows only: If you’re looking for a portable application menu and launcher, Appetizer is a free, polished, and highly customisable open source candidate.
Appetizer can be installed or run as a portable application. On first run, Appetizer offers to import shortcuts from your quick launch menu and start menu. If you use the default PortableApps format for file storage on your USB drive, Appetizer will import your portable applications and media.
That’s nothing particularly new, but Appetizer is skin-able and has support for plug-ins. The launcher can be resized, too, from the format you see in the screenshot here, to run instead along the top of the screen, or on the side of it like a more traditional dock. You can assign a hotkey to launch Appetizer, and create special keyboard shortcuts within Appetizer for system functions like opening the Control Panel and Recycling Bin. If you’re interested in using an application launcher but aren’t sold on Appetizer, make sure to check out the Hive Five: Best Application Launchers. Appetizer is open source, Windows only.
Appetizer [via Life Rocks 2.0]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@TheEmperorofChaos: I also have a 64GB jump drive annd I've been using PStart for a while now. I don't know if I'd like something new, but the GUI for this app definitely looks better than PStart. I think I'll give it a shot.
Athena Smith
Meh. It's really cool looking, but I still think geek.menu is the best portable application launcher. If we could make something as small and minimalist as this but as feature-rich as geek.menu without getting all cluttered, then we'd be at Nirvana, Portable Edition.
Perhaps, we could make something that replaces all of the Windows Explorer buttons and settings with identical ones, but leading to your Portable Apps, having the default ones hidden until you remove your flash drive?
Rett Gerst
@syathish: So use it.
ssj4Gogeta
Mac OS 9 users: Remind you of DragThing? This was long before any dock or app starters. [www.dragthing.com]
@NickBomb: Hurrrp.
That's the direction to go, of course, my own launcher is coming across quite nicely too :D
I'm sticking with Pstart, the only one that tells you folder names without having to hover over the shortcut.
CGA
Better than other eyecandy docks + stacklet combo.
Liked it , Thanks.
QuadMaster
Meh, I'm still addicted to Find and Run Robot.
AtomFury
@silentcon: I mean 2000k - 3000k. Sorry
silentcon
I use stabslauncher because it uses minimal memory (2000mb-3000mb)
I didn't like Appetizer. :(
Launchy 2 freezes a second even on a fast computer.
silentcon
Wow, what timing. I was just looking for something like this yesterday. I was looking for a launcher application that I can run on my corporate workstation - I'm not able to install programs, but I can run Portable Apps. Thanks LH.
salviati
how does this compare to rocketdock? is it more lightweight in terms of memory footprint?
If so, this might be useful for my netbook.
I use my own "Launchie" (yes I know the name owns), which focuses on ending various cpu-draining processes. I use it as an application launcher as well.
NickBomb
Im currently using object dock and would like to know how its different from this
syathish
@lbrtdy:
launchy is still my favorite of them all
but I'm so hooked on PStart, I'll have to use both.
Since I have a 64GB USB Drive, it'll do. 8D
I also religiously use Launchy. But this does look nice for use with portable apps on a USB flash drive. Will have to give this a try.
Donkey_Pasta
@Anubhav S: executor, at least, is portable.
@Anubhav S: I agree. Except Google Desktop, from what I experienced a year ago, was a little heavy on the resources.
interficio
I still feel that executor/launchy, and google desktop are more useful
(but portability is nice)
Anubhav S
Looks pretty slick, i like that's its portable too, even if you're just going to run it on your regular pc that's nice.
launchy is the best
lbrtdy
@AtomFury:
+1 for FARR
ossigeno
It's not bad. But as a reformed Executor user, I'll stick with Find and Run Robot.
Kane65
I love this program, but be careful updating, it doesn't save your previous data. (At least the portable version doesn't)
tgrantt