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Google Will Kill Its Chrome App Launcher For Windows, Mac, and Linux In July 77

Posted by timothy from the wheat-from-chaff dept.
An anonymous reader writes: Google today announced plans to kill off the Chrome app launcher for Windows, Mac, and Linux in July. The tool, which lets users launch Chrome apps even if the browser is not running, will continue to live on in Chrome OS. So why is Google removing the Chrome app launcher from Chrome? Well, it turns out Google has finally figured out what everyone all already knew: "we've found that users on Windows, Mac, and Linux prefer to launch their apps from within Chrome."
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Google Will Kill Its Chrome App Launcher For Windows, Mac, and Linux In July More

Google Will Kill Its Chrome App Launcher For Windows, Mac, and Linux In July

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  • I think I can speak for most people... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by BaronM ( 122102 ) on Tuesday March 22, 2016 @07:20PM (#51757839)

    ...when I say "Wait; you're killing what?"

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Its another solution in search of a problem, in fact I would say Chrome "apps" are the same,

        No, it's a multi-platform execution environment designed to run programs from another system. The problem statement was quite simple which was how do you take apps based entirely on an OS-is-the-browser approach designed to run on a Hardware-is-the-browser system and make them work on other systems.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by c ( 8461 )

      ...when I say "Wait; you're killing what?"

      ... and yet pundits are still going to bitch about Google killing off another project.

  • Good (Score:4, Insightful)

    by pushing-robot ( 1037830 ) on Tuesday March 22, 2016 @07:34PM (#51757929)

    Why, exactly, do developers decide the native OS methods for finding and starting apps are insufficient and must be replaced with some ill-conceived launcher app? Google is far from the only offender here.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      I am not so sure. Ever since they added it you could find and launch Google Apps from the native launcher windows. In Windows, by merely searching by keyword in Window's Cortana search, on OS X it was it appeared in Launchpad and Spotlight. If finding it in those locations disappear, I shall find it frustrating.

    • native OS methods

      Because native OS methods are not multi-platform?
      Because of the same reason Java Virtual Machine came out in the 90s.
      Because of the same reason why double clicking a .exe file in Linux just makes the computer die a little inside, and the same reason when I type "systemctl start apache2" into the run bar in Windows I get an error.

  • I use Hangouts Dialer - but not Chrome (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    ... So is there another way to start it without the full Chrome browser UI?

  • Backwards (Score:5, Informative)

    by jwymanm ( 627857 ) on Tuesday March 22, 2016 @08:37PM (#51758239) Homepage
    Sorry, I must be one of the few that actually use this to even load chrome because it allows easy user switching right in the top right without loading a window first. Its like a perfect launcher with full keyboard usability.. just type what you want and bam you launch it. You don't have to litter your windows/gnome/etc interface with all of your Chrome "app" launchers. Added benefit is if you put it in the task tray and hit windows key+X it pops up and away you go. Not sure how people would be _happy_ yet another feature is removed this day and age. It seems like something that could easily stay in existence without much/if any work done on it. This is a step backwards seriously.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by trawg ( 308495 )

      I started using it as well to launch Signal for Desktop. I don't even know how to launch it from the browser!

  • Begging the question (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    THIS is what "begging the question" means, by the way.

    (I am, of course, referring to the SowhyisGoogleremovingtheChromeapplauncherfromChrome?Well,itturnsoutGooglehasfinallyfiguredoutwhateveryoneallalreadyknew:)

  • No (Score:5, Insightful)

    by DivineKnight ( 3763507 ) on Tuesday March 22, 2016 @10:01PM (#51758589)

    People want you to bring back GTalk. And quit bundling your stuff so closely with Chrome. And then fire your Market research group...they appear to be drawn from the same people who thought Windows Vista was a winner.

    • They want Gtalk so badly they're using Skype instead of Hangouts. God-damned Skype...

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      +1 to this.

      Hangouts is a joke (besides the poor UI and everything must be represented in a circle) and the fact that you have to use Chrome or load gmail in a browser for the hangouts component is shitty.

      At least Google Talk is separated and independent.

      Also bring back XMPP federation.

      I mostly use Wickr and Telegram now.

  • Hell No! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ipb ( 569735 ) on Tuesday March 22, 2016 @11:22PM (#51758809) Homepage

    Linux users do NOT want to launch everything from a browser.
    Ditch the stand alone launcher and the need for the browser.

    I want standalone programs for hangouts and chromecasting and that is all.
    I already don't like the overhead of chrome and it's crappy interface and I'm getting
    fed-up with the crashes and arbitrary chrome and hangout resets when I do leave them running.

    Make good programs, not crappy do everything browsers.

    • While we're at it, how about we insist web pages stop trying to act more like "apps?"

      I can't tell you how many web sites refuse to respond properly to the "Back" button thanks to all the AJAX baloney. Web pages should be stand-alone as well!

  • So all these google apps are really just contained in chrome.exe and they don't even try to always use OS native window API. As end result, you get all kinds of visual artifacts with these crapps.

  • everyone all already knew

    Everyone all, I presume, means even more than everyone. Something like the population of the world squared?

  • I use the launcher all the time, and so it will be missed :(

  • "The main reason for its removal is the fact that Google's metrics show little to no usage for the Chrome app launcher."

    There you have it, telemetry. Where are the angry crowds with torches and pitchforks?

  • Why don't native apps? (Score:3)

    by hyperar ( 3992287 ) on Wednesday March 23, 2016 @07:48AM (#51760043)
    I don't really care for Chrome apps, i'd love to have a fucking desktop hangouts app, how long has it been?
  • The only way I've found to get to the real apps list from within the browser is chrome://apps ... is there even a link to that from a menu?

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