# Launcher Specification

The Qtopia Launcher is the your "home" in Qtopia.

The Qtopia Launcher allows you to start installed Applications, Games, and Settings. It allows you to manage your documents. The launcher has a taskbar which shows current running programs and allows switching between them. The taskbar supports three plugin types: input methods, taskbar applets, and menu applets (also called accessories). The Launcher is also responsible for a number of system-level operations.

Status: RT

## Use Cases

- Write a new text document

  The user clicks on the Text Editor to create a new text document (or to edit an existing text document).

- Play a game

  The user looks at available games and chooses one to play.

- Tweak the system

  The user changes the way the device looks, feels, and operates by using the Settings programs.

- Edit a text document

  The user clicks on a text document to edit it.

- Organizing documents

  The user looks at all documents of a certain type (such as images), or looks at all documents in a certain category (such as Business).

- Beam

  The user selects a document and beams it to a friend.

- Desktop Computer user

  The user is familiar with desktop computer systems where a menu is used for starting applications. A familiar interface is available in Qtopia (the Q menu).

- Accessories

  The user installs software that appears as an item in the Q menu, for invoking occasional actions.

- Input methods

  The user chooses Handwriting Recognition for most text input, but switches to the more traditional Keyboard input method when using the Terminal.

- Switch between applications

  Bob is writing an email about an upcoming event. Without quitting the Email application, he starts the Calendar, views the event, and easily switches back and forth between the two applications while writing the email.

- Broken software

  Betty installs a game she downloaded off the Internet. When she scores more than 99999 points, the game freezes and stops responding to all input. The system informs her that the program is not responding and she chooses to terminate the game.

- Status display

  The user installs various applets that show the current time, the state of the network, battery level, and inserted media cards. The small displays also provide minor interactions such as setting an alarm clock, starting/stopping the network, getting more detailed information, and ejecting cards.

- Frequently used operations

  The user installs various applets that provide quick access to frequently used operations such as cut and paste, backlight adjustment, and volume control.

- Shutdown

  The user is storing his device for an extremely long period. To prevent system corruption when the battery eventually drains, he shuts down the device.

- Calibration

  The touchpanel on some devices may "drift" over time, or in different environmental conditions. The user then "recalibrates" the display.

## Features

- Games tab: games are grouped on their own tab because they are a well-defined group of applications. Games are programs useful solely for entertainment.
- Settings tab: settings are grouped on their own tab because they are a well-defined group of applications. Settings are programs that configure the device without actually contributing to productivity.
- Applications tab: all programs that are not games or settings are grouped as applications, presumably contributing to productivity.
- Documents tab: all user documents are accessible through this tab.
- Invoke application: selecting a application icon starts the application or raises the application if it is already started.
- Invoke document: selecting a document invokes the application associated with the type of document.
- Document Categorization: documents can be members of various categories. The user can filter the view to show just members of a vertain category.
- Document Type: documents each have a single MIME type. The user can filter the view to show just documents of a certain type.
- Beam Document: documents can be sent to other devices (via IrDA).
- Move Document: documents can be moved to different storage locations (eg. CF or SD card).
- Copy Document: documents can be duplicated, with the copy optionally on a different storage location.
- Delete Document: documents can be deleted.
- Q Menu Tab Equivalents: the Application, Games, and Settings tabs can be visible in the Q Menu.
- Q Menu Accessories: plugins (applets) can add items to the Q Menu (eg. IR on/off control).
- Input Method Plugins: pluggable input methods can produce text input to applications using programmed interactions with the user.
- Task Bar: currently running applications are shown as icons in the taskbar, and clicking on these raises the application. If the application does not respond, the user is given the option to terminate it forcefully.
- Status Bar: the task bar doubles as a status bar for temporary messages generated by applications.
- Applets: pluggable applets can show small widgets in the right-hand side of the taskbar. eg. there is a clock applet.
- Shutdown: the device may be shutdown, or the Launcher may be terminated or restarted. The exact meaning of these operations is device-specific.
- Recalibrate: the device may be recalibrated by takling 5 input points from the user and adjusting physical to pixel transformations.

## Prerequisites

None.