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Prelaunch Version 0.04, Copyright 2005, Jochen Baier, email@jochen-baier.de

Launch apps in no time.

Prelaunch is a utility for the Linux desktop which significantly decrease the time needed to launch programs. Prelaunch start the respective program during login, invisible to the user. With this trick the real launch needs no time. During session it is always a new instance ready to show. It is written in C and GTK.

Instruction

1. "prelaunch app --autostart" will launch the program "app" invisible to the user.
2. "prelaunch app" will show the program and (without the "--noreload" option) a new instance will be prelaunched.

To make it short: That's it !

You can use "prelaunch-add" to prepare some stuff: (Note: prelaunch-add works only for Gnome and KDE).

"prelaunch-add app" will do: (as normal user)

     add "app" to the desktop autostart (command: prelaunch app --autostart)
     prepend "~./prelaunch" to the PATH environment variable.
     create a script in "~/.prelaunch" named "app" with content: "prelaunch app"
     motify the panel menu in KDE. (because panel ignore PATH var)

After relogin the program "app" is prelaunched. To show it just run "app".

Options

prelaunch-add app [app options]

[app options]:

--noreload: the program will be prelaunched only once. During the desktop session no other

instance will be prelaunched. Use this options for programs like "gedit", "firefox" (apps which attach to the first instance; apps you need only once.)

I recommend to add here the option to disable splash windows. (if supported by the app).

Examples

"prelaunch-add anjuta --no-splash --noreload" "prelaunch-add firefox --noreload"

Hints

suid binaries will not work. (xterm for example). Gedit, Firefox and Mozilla need the "--noreload" option. do not use "kfmclient" use "konqueror". Gimp does not work (too many windows...). Kate does not work. (do not know why). the PATH env variable should lool like "/home/user/.prelaunch/RestofthePATH"

      -Gnome (at least under Debian): use ~/.gnomerc with content:
       "export PATH=/home/pulp/.prelaunch:$PATH" (prelaunch-add will do this automatically)
      -KDE: use ~/.kde/env/prelaunch.sh with content: "export PATH=/home/pulp/.prelaunch:$PATH"
       (prelaunch-add do this automatically)
      -Slackware: prepend "/home/user/.prelaunch" to the PATH variable in /etc/profile.

*Nautilus-Open-Terminal: to disable the annyoing busy mouse cursor: set "StartupNotify=false" in "/usr/[local]/share/applications/gnome-terminal.desktop"

Uninstall

Gnome

remove the script in ~/.prelaunch. remove the PATH line in ./.gnomerc *remove the app from Startup Programs ("gnome-session-properties", Tab: "Startup Programs")

KDE

remove the script in ~/.prelaunch. remove the script in ~./kde/env/prelaunch.sh remove the script in ~./kde/Autostart edit the kicker menu entries (kmenuedit) edit the kicker launcher if changed (right click). remove the app from Session Manager exclusion (kcontrol ->Session Manager).

Use with other deskop environment: (example with konqueror)

Add "/home/user/.prelaunch" to PATH variable. (/etc/profile for example). Create a script in "~/.prelaunch" with content:

#!/bin/bash

tmp=/usr/bin/prelaunch

if [ -e $tmp ]; then
if [ -n "$1" ]; then
if [ $1 = "--autostart" ];then
exec prelaunch /opt/kde/bin/konqueror --autostart else
exec /opt/kde/bin/konqueror $
fi
else
exec prelaunch /opt/kde/bin/konqueror fi
else
exec /opt/kde/bin/konqueror $
fi

     name it "konqueror"
     make it executable: chmod +x konqueror

Add "konqueror --autostart" to Autostart. Relogin.

Licence:

GPL

Homepage:

http://prelaunch.sourceforge.net/

Contact

Bug, feature request, not working application ? let me know. email@jochen-baier.de