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

2 points by icauroboros 10 hours ago | 2 comments

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 10 hours ago |

Why would I use such an app launcher rather than say google search?

icauroboros 9 hours ago | |

Auto update. Installing delta updates instead of full build again and again every version. Having centralized hub to see your library, feed, updates, release notes.