This shit is fucking dead

Discussions regarding categories, forums and so on.
Post Reply
User avatar
ChristianWS
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Apr 07, 2019 12:30 am

This shit is fucking dead

Post by ChristianWS » Sat Oct 19, 2019 4:43 pm

tl;dr: rant

Its been 10 months since this board got made, and yet, this is basically a desert, the little bit of active content we have on this board is mostly made of people having a problem and wanting a solution, only in the first 3 months did we had some resemblance of a community. You know why? Its because we're on a fucking board, the only people who are going to be bothered to sign-up for a board(not even mentioning searching for the board) are people who are desperately trying to fix something, or the small number of people who already spent so much time on this app that they are going to participate no matter the platform. I even forget this shit even exists

This isn't even mentioning the app itself, in terms of customization and how it worksits comparable to Kustom or even Tasker, however, it is organized in a needless complicated way, look at how Kustom simplified a lot of things LL does in 4 different menus. Why have Bindings, rather than do like Kustom, and use the code in the field you're going to change? Why the hell are Folders even called folders, when they are basically Overlays. Why is the default desktop and the PlayStore pics so goddamn ugly? Why even have the
Geometry Editor when it could be merged with the Properties Menu? Also, with some redesign the Panel/Folder/Current Desktop Settings menu could be put inside the Properties Menu

A lot of the learning curve using LL isn't about the complexity of the stuff you can do, but how LL presents the stuff, again, Tasker and Kustom, you can learn about what Kustom can do while you do it due to the tips, while Tasker has a very detailed user guide that is shown inside Tasker itself, they even have some odd synergy between them, in that they basically work the same in some weird ways, like using Variables, while LL have the whole binding stuff. And they also active communities on Reddit, because their users don't need to find and signup for a whole website dedicated entirely to a single App, they can post random stuff easily, and also keep an eye on the community without having to remember the goddamn thing even existis

Look, I love LL, been using it for years, but I've come to a pretty sad conclusion that I could do a bunch of shit using Kustom rather LL, not because LL can't do it, or because I don't know how to do it, but because its a hassle to set stuff up on LL.

I know development ain't easy, and the fact that we even got here is amazing, but I can't help but feel like without some improvements the end is near, I'm mad at the idea of stop using LL, but I can't shake the feeling LL is going to die as some weird Launcher without having its finest hour

User avatar
F43nd1r
Posts: 50
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:20 pm

Re: This shit is fucking dead

Post by F43nd1r » Sat Oct 19, 2019 5:03 pm

the little bit of active content we have on this board is mostly made of people having a problem and wanting a solution
This is what the board is for, at least primarily.
it is organized in a needless complicated way, look at how Kustom simplified a lot of things LL does in 4 different menus
LL has grown a lot, it started with way less features. I guess at least some of the menus could need reworking (altough I remember the layout editor was reworked not so long ago). This needs a developer with time though, LL doesn't have that atm.
Why have Bindings
I honestly forgot why they were added, to me they're just inferior scripts.
Why the hell are Folders even called folders, when they are basically Overlays
Folders are folders, and every launcher I've used called them that.
Why is the default desktop and the PlayStore pics so goddamn ugly?
Go design a better default desktop, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to integrate that. Play store pics are from designs made by users in the old google plus community, and I don't see why they should be ugly (maybe just not your style?).
Why even have the Geometry Editor when it could be merged with the Properties Menu?
a) the properties menu is already overloaded with tabs
b) the geometry of an item is logically not a property
Also, with some redesign the Panel/Folder/Current Desktop Settings menu could be put inside the Properties Menu
Please no. Those are way to many options to be shoved into a half a screen height popup.
A lot of the learning curve using LL isn't about the complexity of the stuff you can do, but how LL presents the stuff
I agree with that. I think tutorials and similar things were always lacking.
And they also active communities on Reddit
LL has a reddit community, albeit small. I think Pierre discarded reddit as a solution because he wanted to host LLs community himself.
LL is going to die as some weird Launcher without having its finest hour
I think LL has passed its finest hour, but it is still the best launcher around. Pierre has mentioned he wants to start anew using all the knowledge gained from LL. I don't think that's started though.

Cueball666uk
Posts: 59
Joined: Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:08 pm

Re: This shit is fucking dead

Post by Cueball666uk » Sat Oct 19, 2019 6:15 pm

I have to agree on some things, however having used Tasker for many years I realise how awesome LL with the amount of customisation and control you have over each and every item ....

Yes there are a few simple things that annoy me e.g. no dark mode on editor menus... Not able to change the standard orange menu highlights to a different colour and other very simple things ....

I have however tried using Nova again recently and found it very lacking compared to LL ... Certain things I absolutely have came to rely on, like being able to swipe in multiple directions or long press on a single icon to do any number of different tasks... plus infinitely resizable widgets and the fact I can detach items from the default grid to create a truly custom android experience.

It does bug me a bit that there are nowhere near as many updates as other launchers, but obviously that's all down to how much time the Dev has to spend on fixing/updating things... That's before he even starts adding extra/new features.

I appreciate the hard work that has gone into this amazing launcher, but I myself have recently been wondering how long an app can survive without attracting new users... It would be an aweful shame should lightning vanish ! 😳😔

pgrilo
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2019 11:06 am

Re: This shit is fucking dead

Post by pgrilo » Tue Nov 05, 2019 3:27 pm

A new launcher icon, a slightly more modern default desktop, round corners and dark mode (popups and dialogs), a couple of integrated templates, and a new play store promotional video would, alone, make a huge difference. Undoubtedly.

I speak for myself. I've scrolled pass LL on play store so many times over the last couple of years, and, all the times I read the description and took a look at the video and screenshots I would get past the idea of purchasing it because I thought that it looked outdated an probably abandoned..

Only recently, two or three weeks ago, after noticing a recent update, I took the plunge and purchased LL.
I was amazed how powerful it is! I became aware that I've been missing the absolutely most powerful and most versatile launcher ever!

After struggling a little to find working links to documentation (help button url on the script editor is dead), searching the defunct community forum, the scripts repo, wiki and the android api, I was able to make my almost perfect (WIP) template, even featuring a awesome RSS feed (custom view & Automagic).
But I consider myself a "power user", that's why a couple of integrated modern looking templates would make a huge difference appealing to "normal" users.

That being said, I really hope that this project doesn't die because there is nothing that comes even close to the versatility of a launcher with the android api exposed via scripting. I simply LOVE it!

Long life to LL!

User avatar
F43nd1r
Posts: 50
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2019 1:20 pm

Re: This shit is fucking dead

Post by F43nd1r » Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:19 pm

pgrilo wrote:A new launcher icon, a slightly more modern default desktop, round corners and dark mode (popups and dialogs), a couple of integrated templates, and a new play store promotional video would, alone, make a huge difference. Undoubtedly.
Sure, but those take a lot of time to make, at least if the result should be any good. Pierre is the sole developer of this app and hasn't had much time for it at least in the last year. Also, the icon is quite new. Regarding builtin templates, maybe those should come from the community?
pgrilo wrote:help button url on the script editor is dead
It is, not sure why though. @Pierrot?
pgrilo wrote:But I consider myself a "power user"
Congratulations, you are part of the target audience of LL.

Post Reply