[ciano]

Hi everyone, I created a new application launcher.
I decided to create it, cuz all the docks around didn't fit my needs or the way in wut the are made. I decided to make a Pie dock cuz I think it's more fast to launch applications. Also I wanted an eyecandy launcher but it has to be fast at the same and don't have to eat lots of memory, so I did it! (still in alpha stage)
I just upload on youtube a video that display the features. Sorry, for now the app and the video is just in italian, but as soon I'll fix some little bugs I'll do the multi language support.

This is the video :
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=NF6L0rabXrE
(maybe a spanish or portuguese speaker could understand something... ))

Please share your thougts!

p.s. I wanna a little help for fixing a limitation of this app. I spent lots of hours about trying to extract the right icon from an EXE! My problem is that the right icon isn't always on the same index. So I made some search in the icons list of the EXE like finding a 48x48x32 icon for example. The problem come when an exe has more than one 48x48x32 icon! so it's impossible to set the righ one!. So someone knows how to extract the main icon that the creator associated to the exe? (i'm programming in C#)
thanks.

[szekelya]

Looks cool. But where is the download link?
I'd be happy to betatest on XP. Maybe also on Vista. Definitely on my SonyEricsson phone.

This post has been edited by szekelya: 27 August 2009 - 06:04 PM

[firecracker6]

nice preview.. looks like you're carrying on the torch laid down by Orbit Dock. What a breath of fresh air! I hope the user will be able to customize/remove the background, also, remove the dock's name from the center of the dock?

[Elevati0n]

Guys...this is Orbit dock stuff...no new ideea..
@ Ciano: <cit>This is the video :
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=NF6L0rabXrE
(maybe a spanish or portuguese speaker could understand something...wink.gif ))</cit>

Lol...is italian...more understandable language than spanish or portuguese

Are you sure IS NOT Orbit Dock instead of new app?

Later edit: hmmm... it's more like Circle Dock stuff...not Orbit D...Anyway, is not an original ideea. For me, Ciano didn't make a new dock

This post has been edited by Elevati0n: 28 August 2009 - 07:33 AM

[ciano]

Well, as I wrote, I had in my mind this kind of dock, and when orbit, or better, circle dock came out, I was soo excited but not too much about performance! Orbit do not have a nice alpha blending effect, circle dock when you push in a category, you'll wait a bit before it create all the links, you have to click on the center to return on the main menu, plus the circle will become way big if you put lots of icons. Saying this I don't want to criticize the great job of the others also becouse they share their work for free, Just they didn't feet my needs. So I decided to create one dock in the way that I always had in my mind for my personal usage, but when will be kinda stable I'll share with everyone for free.

szekelya:yes it's Xp compatible (in the video was Win7) but no Sony Ericsson version will be released.

firecracker6:I'm a very picky person, so I already have in my mind the feauters to add, and for sure u can drag&drop any background image to change it! and also other stuff that for now i don't want to announce...thanks for the "new fresh air".

Elevati0n: "a new application launcher (or Dock)..." well it's true! ...and that doesn't mean a new origial, never thought before dock was borned

p.s. I have this stupid extarct icon issue that is eating my brain to fix, if someone can give me some suggstion, the release date will be sooner.

This post has been edited by ciano: 28 August 2009 - 08:50 AM

[firecracker6]

May I suggest asking one of the talented community developers which frequent this site every so often?
Either ChristianS, or Matonga currently come to mind. JcRabbit is the developer of WinStep and has just recently released his free dock app.. he's quite a nice and friendly chap, I'm sure he would give you some pointers.

Good luck, please let us know if any of them were able to help you. I look forward to trying out your program when the day comes. I could certainly tell from the video that it wasn't Orbit nor Circle.

[ciano]

Thanks for the suggestion, I think to write to one of them! I soon as I made this fixing I'll release it!
(right now when u drag&drop an app, it extract the first one icon that commonly is the crapy one! so you have to change it manually).

[firecracker6]

..window's native icons aren't much to write home about anyways.. I suspect 92% of people will change them immediately regardless... don't keep that as a reason you'd hold off a release Having polished nice default window icons appear could easily be a point release update adding a little polish to your app. just my 2 cents

A suggestion: why don't you add the ability for users to associate pngs to programs/files/folders such that, even if they remove the program/file/folder the app remembers the associated png for the next time it's re-added by the user. Such a list could be saved/exported/imported. Sure the user would have to initially build their system but this would be much more useful than the best extracted windows icons making an appearance.

[scissorhands7]

firecracker6, on Aug 29th 2009, 08:37 PM, said:

..window's native icons aren't much to write home about anyways.. I suspect 92% of people will change them immediately regardless... don't keep that as a reason you'd hold off a release Having polished nice default window icons appear could easily be a point release update adding a little polish to your app. just my 2 cents

A suggestion: why don't you add the ability for users to associate pngs to programs/files/folders such that, even if they remove the program/file/folder the app remembers the associated png for the next time it's re-added by the user. Such a list could be saved/exported/imported. Sure the user would have to initially build their system but this would be much more useful than the best extracted windows icons making an appearance.

I have to agree with this, kind of how standalonestack2/macswitch has been developed

[ciano]

well I wrote a help mail hoping someone will answer
Anyway this is how Cianodock works. When you set a new Icon for groups or link, it copy that png file in the local icon folder, renaming it with the name of the group/link and resizing it at 80x80 pixel.
I'm doing these operation with the PNG icons becouse:
First, for more portability, Cianodock if will find an Icon (in the local icon folder) with the same name of the group/link, it will load it, else will load the default icon.
Second, I resize it becouse I want to save memory. Lot's of dock program allow you to even load 512x512 png icons, doing this it will eat lots of memory. Probably with the Mac style dock could be ok becouse someone sets the maximun zoom size even at 512x512, but with Cianodock you can still set the maximun size but it no goes more than 100x100 else the circle will become huge!

other features i'll show next

[chatpristi]

This app looks really nice except it is a circle dock, which is for me unusable. I tried orbit or circle docks, they are fun to play with but for everyday use, nothing's like a good olg dock bar at the bottom or at the top.
Yet, I reaaly like the apparent ease of use of this dock and it's smooth animations. Good job so far.

[aozoi10]

I don't know about Orbit Dock, but this sure does remind me of the menu in the game Grand Ages:Rome.
Looks like the kind of dock I was looking for after I tried playing that game.