HACKER Q&A
📣 icauroboros

What would you expect from an app launcher as a developer?


I'm in the process of making a desktop-first app launcher for community-funded developers. Think of it like Steam, but without payment processing and focused on a niche ecosystem. I’m wondering what kind of features you would want — or not want — from a launcher like this.

I’ve already decided on these features:

- It should put user experience first: responsive, fast, and low RAM usage.

- It should have some kind of quality gate and standards.

- It should have a powerful search/tag system.

- It should be free for users.

Some extra questions:

- What kind of statistics would you want to see in a dashboard?

- Is CLI upload a must, or is GUI upload enough?

- What would you like to see on the front page besides classic JPG images? Videos? HDR-supported image formats? GIFs? Embeds?

I said “as a developer,” but recommendations from users are appreciated too.


  👤 uberman Accepted Answer ✓
Why would I use such an app launcher rather than say google search?