Ask HN: 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. Why would I use such an app launcher rather than say google search? 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.