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

Posted by timothy on 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."

5 of 77 comments (clear)

  1. Re:really? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Sure, ever heard of Hangouts?

  2. Re:Good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    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.

  3. Backwards by jwymanm · · Score: 5, Informative

    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.

    1. Re:Backwards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Well, I use it too. Enough such that when it broke I found I could replace it with "C:\Program Files (x86)\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --show-app-list and put that in my task bar.

  4. Re:really? by darkain · · Score: 4, Informative

    You're thinking of Google+, Hangouts is their chat interface. Hangouts is more like Skype, but without the bullshit. Quite nice, actually, if they would stop with all the broken ass fucking beta bullshit in it. REMINDS ME OF /.