An alternative app launcher
 

Warning: No more reboot loop, but this app still experimental. Backup your device before attempting to install this. And open xterm and control panel before installing you might need it

Introducing an alternative application launcher for N810. This launcher is best used with Kroll's diablo5 theme. The app will replace the application menu in the status bar (in maemo5 theme). I think it's best explained with a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PJ_mlxihjY

for a screenshot please see here thanks giladmttw for the screenshot

The latest deb and source code is attached to this post.
If you have Kroll's diablo5 theme installed, use the launcher package.
Otherwise use launcher-navigator package.
Do not install both of them, just pick one

I'd like to thanks Mitrandir for letting me use his telescope code and answer my question to fix a few bug.

We also have talked about merging this to telescope. So any known issues probably will not be fixed until we've merged the code.

Note: from version 0.2.0 you can get the source code from http://vcs.maemo.org/svn/telescope/launcher/

Version 0.2.0
* New installed application will appear on the launcher automatically
* You can now use the d-pad (left/right) to navigate the launcher
* An experimental invisible scroll at the bottom to go to through the menu quickly
* A temporary fixed for a bug where the launcher window is cut off after being opened on portrait mode. The launcher still does not support portrait mode.

Version 0.1.4
* Fix the issues of modest and application manager not opened
* (launcher-navigator) This package _should_ replace the default application menu, without you mucking around the desktop files from the terminal. Thanks to tso for the idea :)

Version 0.1.3
* I think I fixed the issue of the launcher seg faulted on the beginning
* The package will now try to kill the previous running launcher. So you don't have to restart your device.

Version 0.1.2
* Fixed a problem on executing a few of apps
* Now showing a feeback banner that the app is starting
* Launcher for navigator is now not trying to remove the default application menu. You'll have to remove it yourself, as it's impossible to do a them on the installation process.

To remove the default application menu you'll first need to go to the control panel -> panels and make sure the new launcher is ticked then edit
and comment out on this line
Next you'll need to rename the file to something else that don't end with .desktop.

Version 0.1.1
* Osso games should run now
* Have also added /usr/share/icons/hicolor/64x64/hildon to the icon path to look
* It no longer use the system service to pre-run the launcher, instead it depend on DBus to launch it the first time when the applet is pressed. Hopefully this stop the reboot loop even when the launcher is segfaulted

Known issues
* This app does not work with portrait mode.
* In installation, the original application menu sometime still appear along side the new one. Again you'll need to go to the panel under control panel
* On uninstallation, the original applet might not come back. So before you uninstall make sure you open the control panel and the terminal just in case.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Hello there!

I glad to know that we have new app launcher, because Mitrandir was too busy to do it.
In my opinion (I'm a guy who made Mitrandir do this task swither and I draw the frames, etc) the launcher better to place in Telescope, not in statusbar. It will free space for one applet and it will be more similar to maemo5.
Good luck and, I hope, my theme, Mitrandir's Telescope and your launcher will be one application and it will be the best of Diablo apps! xD
And then, of course, we will seize the World.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

i wonder, will this be usable in some fashion outside of the maemo5 style theme?

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Hi Kroll, I'm not sure what do you mean by the launcher in telescope. I always thought that the launcher and task switcher is a different button in maemo5. Maybe I have to look at a video of it in action again.

Tso, the app, in theory, should work without maemo5 theme. It's just that it won't replace the application menu but instead it'll add a statusbar applet for this app launcher.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Okay just saw the N900 promo video, now I understand what you mean. I don't like it though. You have to click twice to get to the menu. Maybe I'll keep the statusbar applet in a separate package for those who like it this way.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Fantastic!

Great work on this one!

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Installed the deb attached in the first post.

Sweet - very nice. I'd like to see a button for this on the telescope dashboard. I agree with Kroll, that this would free up space on the statusbar.

As an alternative, is it possible to display the status bar when Telescope is invoked?

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

would a sidebar "button" (like what personal menu provides) be a option?

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Hi gazza_d, I haven't talk about it with mitrandir, but I think what kroll suggested will be the default behaviour just like on the real maemo5.

As for showing the status bar on Telescope, you'll need to ask mitrandir for that.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Alright I've build a package that has a navigator applet instead of a status bar applet. I haven't properly tested this though. So anyone want to try them on theirs N810? Please let me know how you go.

Edit: removing the attachment here to avoid confusion. See the first post for the deb files

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

warning! Reboot loop!
Do not install!

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

I have just installed the first launcher on my N800 and it is also stuck in a reboot loop :(

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Do you need assistance to fix it?

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Yes please. Thanks

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Are you able to dual boot?
If yes, boot from your alternate system (is it mmc or flash?). Then mount the main system partition under /mnt, "chroot /mnt" and "apt-get remove launcher" or " dpkg -r launcher"
If you aren't able to dualboot, then try enabling "R&D mode", if this mode stops the reboot loop, then uninstall the package from a xterm or the package manager. If this mode doesn't stops the reboot loop, you have no other alternative than to prepare a bootable partition on a mmc card in your pc (you could use a mer image for this).

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Thanks, I can dual boot. Where do I find the main system partition so I can mount it?

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

If your main system is flash, the partition is /dev/mtdblock4, you have to force the filesystem type.
mount -t jffs2 /dev/mtdblock4 /mnt
If your main filesystem is in mmc, you'll have to insmod the ext2/ext3 modules first (depending on your filesystem type), and the device will be /dev/mmcblk1p2 for the 2nd partition of the external mmc.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Wow thanks maacruz! To bad before I read the fix, I ended up reinstalling diablo to external sd... heh. I think this app would be cool. I was wondering, should we put together a new thread, that talks about telescope, diablo5, and this app. Explains concerns, risks, proper order to install, and such?

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Great fixed it, thanks a lot for your help.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

I do not know what about the statusbar in the Telescope, but there is an idea to make the bar in Telescope wich will work with maemo applets as well. I can't provide any pictures or design of that idea because I have no PC at all so I can't draw it.
I hope you will able to make the kinetic scroll for your launcher.

Best regards,
Kroll

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

This is a great app. When you fix the reboot loop tell to us.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

HEY THERE!

In DiabloTurbo (Soony look at DiabloTurbo thread --- Not published yet --- ) we could use a correction in Kernel to disable auto-reboot in sys-usr-files when gets a error. Of course, without getting R&D mode.

I think that anyone that Have a NIT had this reboot loop. In my case, i'm not sure, but at least 15 times I had this reboot loop.

So, to avoid this reboot loop, try to found, in sys-usr-files, where are located the sys-fail-files or sys-con-files, i'm not sure where it is now...

Working and working in DiabloTurbo, Telescope and Diablo5 integration.



Best Regards,

T.B.:D

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Hi, angun33!

Congrats with releasing the first release! Good job!

Unfortunately, i can't test it because it seems not working on my tablet... :( Doh...
I installed your deb from the first post. Statusbar icon seemed to do nothing for me. I started to search the reason and noticed that there is no d-bus with name "org.launcher". So, i inserted a dozen of printf's in your code and found that the program seems to hang at MenuReader.c line 192:
Nor printf inserted inside this if { ... }, neither one placed after the if { ...} is executed.

It also prints this on console:
Unfortunately, i have no time at the moment to dig inside and find the reason. Hope these source line number tells something to you.

About way to call this launcher: since it supports calling via D-Bus, it is fairly easy to call it from statusbar, from tasknavigator, from telescope or anywhere else. I'm sure that this should be configurable.

Btw, my fingers want smooth kinetic scrolling in the launcher too :) But it is a lowest priority task of course :)

I'm going to be in vacation next 7 days. Sorry if i wont be able to answer quickly.

Thank you

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Okay, it seems that i found the reason why it is not working for me. You have the series of frees in Application class destructor. It seems like _icon member is uninitialized there. I added this to beginning of constructor and it started to work:
I don't know why this fail was only for me :)

But it might be good to check another such cases

Now i can say that it is even more sweet in real life that on screenshots :) I really love it. But may be i like larger fonts :)

Bugreport #2 :) The Launcher seems to be unable to run several built-in applications, for example, built-in games and Clock
Bugreport #3: it displays properly icons for all applications except for Mauku and fHeroes2.

fHeroes2 is my package, so i can give you some more details. Its desktop file:
The icons are placed here:
Anyway, this launcher is great and i'm looking forward for your further work and for merging our projects together!

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Is there a 'safer' version of this that can be installed now? :)

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

The version from the first post is the one that caused the reboot loop on my N800.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Sorry, i thought it was from #10

Hmmm... So, it seems there is something seriously wrong with the packet...

Does somebody knows, if launcher process (which is registered as system service in /etc/init.d) will constantly fail with segfault, can it be the reason of reboot loop?

I'm asking because the bug i have described a couple of posts above can simply cause segfault.
I have been with R&D mode from my day one, so i don't know what can cause reboot loop :)

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Well, dunno about everyone else, but I have this same problem :)

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

According to its init.d script, it starts the launcher process using "dsmetool -t". According to dsmetool, " -t --start-restart=<cmd> Start a process (on process exit, restart max N times, then do SW reset)." Anyway, disabling the lifeguard stops dsmetool from restarting, I believe

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

What is DiabloTurbo?

Edit: I did find this reference if it's the same: https://garage.maemo.org/projects/diabloturbo/

Is this something that is released/ready to be tested and/or have some more info about what it does?

Edit II: Sorry for thread-hijack, feel free to PM me instead of replying in this thread in order to keep it clean :)

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

I too would like more information about DiabloTurbo.

Not to thread jack but reading previous entries, it seems that the .debs from the first post are causing the reboot loop on the N800.

Does that mean the .deb posted on Post 10 works fine?

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Yeah! This is my Garage page. As the project isn't published yet, i have no Downloads yet. I promiss that soonly we will have DiabloTurbo in our Tablets....

How about create a Thread about DiabloTurbo? I would like receive some suggestions... maybe a GUI.... would be cool. So, it is just a script right now. And no, it doesn't create a rebbot loop as it solves this problem. I really would like to know if is there a way to simply execute the script without chmodind it.

For now, just working on it! And I say: If I create a Thread, please help keeping it alive!

Best Regards!

:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

I think DiabloTurbo deserves personal thread, simply because there is already the critical mass of off-topic in this thread :)

Jaygo333
If reboot loop is caused by segfaults in launcher, i don't think that debs from #1 and #10 are different. So, i think you'd better to wait until angun33 released the bugfix

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Ok, I've updated the package on the first post. I'm still not sure what cause the reboot loop. On this new package I've fixed what mitrandir reported. I just hope that is what causing it.

I've also change on how the launcher is started. It no longer started as a system service, which may be the cause of the reboot loop as qwerty12 said. It's now started when the applet is pressed the first time by DBus.

So by changing on how the Launcher started, I hope people not experiencing a reboot loop if it seg faulted. But instead only a not working applet.

Please let me know how you go. If you now have an applet that does nothing try opening a terminal and run:

and copy paste what it print on the terminal here.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Installed new .deb. No Reboot loops! Very neat, I like it.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

ah, the perils of experimental software.

when i tried to install the launcher-navigator package, it left me with a odd issue.

first off, while it was installed i had 4 buttons rather then 3 on the sidebar. One of whom had no icon to indicate its presence. This btw ended up displacing any kind of launcher icon out of reach tho thankfully i still had access to personal launcher and therefor xterm. Then when i uninstalled launcher (btw, it was called only launcher in app manager. Not launcher-navigator as one would expect) i am left with a uncheckable "applications" in the "panels" dialog, tho it still shows up in the sidebar, displacing the bottom most button of the 3 selected in the panels dialog (as said dialog refuses to accept a ok unless 3 are selected).

it have yet to restart my n800 since the install tho.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

I installed the first version without issue. The updated one on he other hand...

Although the item is available in Control Panel, panels, it is unselectable. But nothing is visable in the status bar.

here is the output from running /usr/bin/launcher in terminal


~ $ /usr/bin/launcher
Reading application menu
recreate buffer pixmap

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

tried a reboot, no change.

Re: An alternative app launcher
 

Hi

I install launcher_0.1.1_armel.deb, and works fine in my n810...
tks a lot