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CLUSTER APPLICATIONS-LAUNCHER-START · 26 ENTRIES · EARLIEST ENTRY 2017-02-19

Desktop application launchers

This cluster comprises 22 lightweight desktop application launchers that focus on quickly opening programs and files, often as menu-based alternatives to built-in system launchers. The dated history shows irregular monthly entries from 2008 to 2026, with the largest pre-index counts (2 and 3) appearing in 2026-01 and 2026-04, though counts remain low overall. Traction is led by dsh-launcher (194 stars), while the other named members have no activity signal.

Entry timeline

ENTRY TIMELINE

AUG 2008: 1FEB 2011: 1SEP 2015: 1FEB 2017: 1AUG 2020: 2SEP 2021: 1DEC 2021: 1OCT 2022: 1NOV 2022: 1MAR 2024: 1MAY 2024: 1APR 2025: 1JAN 2026: 2APR 2026: 3JUN 2026: 2JUL 2026: 1AUG 2026: 2SEP 2026: 3
AUG 2008SEP 2026

Each bar is the month a member carries, which is a creation date where the source published one and a crawl date otherwise. Nothing in the index was found before 11 August 2026, and coverage broadened sharply on 14–15 August, so a bar from then on reports how much we found that month, not how much was built; an earlier bar reports how far back a member's own source dated it — not how long we have been watching.

Members by activity

Activity signals, not revenue.

Build origin · 1 ai-built · 5 hand-coded · 14 unlabelled

Operator · 2 hobby · 15 open source · 3 unlabelled

Two labels per entry, never collapsed into one: how it was built, and who stands behind it. Counted over the 20 listed below. Unlabelled means nothing has decided yet — not that the answer is small.

  1. 01dsh-launcher207★21 days—Desktop launcher that starts a developer tool upon double-click, offering a straightforward user interface.
  2. 02LaunchBar-Stable9★19 days—Desktop launcher app that provides a minimal interface for quickly launching applications.
  3. 03Perdanga111★20 days—hand-codedReplacement for the Windows 11 Start Menu that launches apps and searches files using customizable tabs and a lightweight native interface.
  4. 04akxkkw-old0★29 days—hand-codedhobbyWindows desktop launcher that organizes scripts, Java archives, and portable apps into cards for quick launch with preset parameters and environment bindings.
  5. 05xfce4-meowmenu-plugin0★1 moliveopen sourceXfce panel plugin that provides an application menu launcher for desktop users.
  6. 06Flow.Launcher.Plugin.Run0★1 mo—ai-builthobbyLauncher plugin that provides a quick alternative to the Windows Run dialog for opening applications and files.
  7. 07cock-mail-app0★2 moliveopen sourceA launcher that runs a webmail service locally in a container for easy desktop access.
  8. 08viewfinder-launcher0★3 molivehand-codedopen sourceLauncher script for the game Viewfinder that simplifies starting the game.
  9. 09devilwm0★3 moliveopen sourceA lightweight window manager fork that includes a built-in application launcher for quickly starting programs.
  10. 10cutefish-launcher0★4 moliveopen sourceFull-screen application launcher for the CutefishOS desktop environment.
  11. 11mxfceg-menu0★4 moliveopen sourceFullscreen application launcher with configuration support and smart blur effect.
  12. 12sysmenu0★11 mostaleliveopen sourceSimple program launcher that allows users to quickly start applications from a menu.
  13. 13golaunch0★4 yrabandonedlivehand-codedopen sourceA simple desktop application launcher that enables users to start applications from a lightweight and straightforward interface.
  14. 14tmenu0★6 moliveopen sourceA minimal X11 menu launcher for quickly opening applications and commands.
  15. 15ajclassic-grapefruit0★8 mostaleliveopen sourceLauncher and runtime for AJ Classic, a game, providing a lightweight way to start and run the game.
  16. 16desq-utils-runner0★1 yrabandonedliveopen sourceA simple app launcher that lets users start applications from the DesQ desktop environment.
  17. 17axon-applauncher0★1 yrabandonedliveopen sourceDesktop app launcher that lets users customize how they start programs.
  18. 18qdmenu0★1 yrabandonedliveopen sourceLightweight launcher that presents a customizable menu for quickly starting applications.
  19. 19utena-launcher0★1 yrabandonedliveopen sourceApplication launcher that allows users to start installed programs, designed as a lightweight alternative to traditional launchers.
  20. 20dbus-app-launcher0★2 yrabandonedlivehand-codedopen sourceSimple app launcher that uses D-Bus to launch applications.

Ranked by traction, highest first, and paged 20 at a time — this is a window on the cluster, never the whole of it. Ties are broken by a stable id so a product cannot appear on two pages or fall between them. Browse every cluster.