if it’s nova launcher I’m gonna be pissed.
edit: it’s nova launcher. fucking fuck.
Hey by any chance do you have the last APK file and the SHA256 of that file ?
Oh wait, it this it ?
Name: com.teslacoilsw.launcher_8.1.1-81001_minAPI26(arm64-v8a,armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk
Size: 11970405 bytes (11 MiB)
SHA256: 30bccfdd995969089ad364a7a6bb7bbea482a703fbfb30ebccad6418aa977fecIs there an x86_64 version ?
Just making sure we’ve got the last version saved
Oh wait, it’s not open source ? And they’ve been acquired in 2022 ?
date of acquisition 2022-07-19
Ok, last one before the acquisition, just in case
Name: com.teslacoilsw.launcher_8.0.2-80002_minAPI26(arm64-v8a,armeabi-v7a)(nodpi)_apkmirror.com.apk
Size: 12580956 bytes (11 MiB)
SHA256: 61a760413387dde99f2a2ef4b065caf278b575c8028cc5b3092f05192cfee258
Mine for the last 3 years
Reminds me of QuickPic and ES File Explorer
Niagara is my favorite by far, i have been paying for pro for years
Man, I’ve been using it for a long time. I was going to buy the forever sub a while ago and never did. When did it jump to $42. I could’ve sworn it was like 20.
Yup, switched to Niagara a few years ago and I don’t intend to ever switch again.
God DAMMIT.
I don’t know why, but this is some proverbial straw for me today. Motherfuck.
Same. I loudly exclaimed “FUUUUUUCK” as I read the article, much to the confusion of my partner.
For those coming looking for alternatives, this mega comparison chart is what I used to select an alternative launcher when I switched.
I would strongly recommend checking this site for the trackers in an app if you’re at all concerned about privacy. Links to each app’s exodus privacy report is also at the end of the table linked above.
Nice list. I recently started using Fossify Launcher and have been pretty happy with it. It’s simple but does what I need. Thought I’d mention it as it’s absent from that list.
Fossify is a tad too basic for me. I use the dialler and calculator. Both have slight issues. The calculator always starts with zero so tapping 1416 will give you 14016.
Dialler doesnt seem to wake or respond as quick as others.
I take it as it is given I know it is private and open but still there are gaps in UI and UX with foss that I wish were a bigger priority.
So if Neo started updating again I think it is the closest open source match?
100%
I stuck with Neo for ages waiting for updates to fix the last few issues…and they never came. Neo would be perfect if someone forked it and continued development.
Its Lawnchair or nothing for me.
I hate being hinted and asked to click on the link, so I save you a click:
It’s the end of an era: the founder and original developer of Nova Launcher — Kevin Barry — has stepped away from the development of the iconic custom launcher. This essentially marks the end of the road for the launcher, as it is unlikely to receive updates or new features. For years now, Nova Launcher has been the go-to launcher for power Android users, standing out for its plethora of customization options and features.
Now that Nova is in literal limbo, if not allegedly in the hands of some data miner, there should be talk about substitutes.
- This app may share these data types with third parties
- This app may collect these data types
That talk about substitutes happened when it was initially handed over to said data miner, and anybody concerned should have switched back then. I did, moving to Lawnchair, and never looked back. Oodles of other options are doubtlessly available.
I’m quite satisfied with lawn chair too
I would be so happy if Kevin got accidentally ‘hacked’ and the source leaked, by now im so ingrained in nova that it just feels wrong switching.
I’m very thankful to Kevin for this amazing launcher that I’m still using to this day.
Also a bit disapointed he trusted Branch and gave them the opportunity to ruin it.
Man probably needed to eat. What a system we’ve got.
It’s always capitalism
You make it sound as if human greed as part of the human condtion will suddenly and magically disappeared under any other form of trade or political system. That is not what literal history has us shown to be the case, over, and over again.
What fucked it up was he selling to the wrong company. But we do not know why he did it. For all we know, he was tired to taking lead in the project and wanted to cash out. He was entitled to do that, or what is the option, force him to work on it just for your needs or to sell to only the company that you or I approved of? What gives us the right to force their hand?
It sucks but that is what he wanted. We both agree that it us unfortunate though. It is too bad.
That human nature will disappear when provided an egalitarian society is the biggest lie I see parroted over and over again by folks who also demand I read theory.
Our nature isn’t a result of our systems, our systems are a result of our nature
The human condition is dictated by the hegemonic system that is governing.
Monopoly™ the game is structually engineered so that players kill the competition and secure the entire board. Would playing by the game’s rules make me inherently a capitalist jerk? No, because they dictate my behaviour and not following them would put me outside the realm of the game (i.e. the system) resulting in my loss (decay).
If the capitalist system incentivizes me to outcompete others and hoard my wealth and, conversely, punishes me for my altruism; then, I am forced to play by the rules of such a system.
“Human nature” is much more complex to be reduced to just greed. This is what’s so cool about being humans, we are so malleable and can be many many things either at once or separately.
Edit: I want to give some concrete examples to what I’m saying. Initially, the Google leadership was skeptical about AI funding, because of privacy and environmental concerns. Yet, as rival competition grew they backpedaled because this would mean their spot as the strongest teck company would be usurped. The late hop into AI funding and development heavily impacted their prospects and they remain falling behind in this respect (source). Here, we have an exemplary case of how the system automatically punishes hood deeds and reinforces predatory and greedy acts.
In a Reddit AMA, the then-Branch CEO Alex Austin also revealed that if Kevin ever left Branch, they would open-source Nova Launcher’s code and release it to the community.
We still have hope if they keep their promise!
Read a bit further:
Two years later, Kevin Barry left Branch and is no longer involved in Nova’s development. In his announcement, Barry revealed that he had been the sole developer for the past year, spending recent months preparing to open source Nova Launcher and clean up its codebase. However, Branch ultimately asked him to stop both development and his open-sourcing efforts.
Yeah, I read it. But they still promised open source, nothing about Barry working on it or not.
That’s why I said “keeping their promise”
The fact that the company forced him to stop getting ready to open source it strongly suggests they aren’t interested in it being open sourced.
Big unlucky.
Are you being sarcastic?
No, that wasnt intended.
Austin is the CEO of a spyware company, while these days it’s not seen this way, it’s not too far from being a leader of a criminal organization (in my humble opinion).
I don’t even know how to use Android without Nova…
Why does nothing good ever last?
I switched to Niagara a few years back because Nova didn’t have good support for foldables and tbh I haven’t looked back. It’s very different but once you get used to it it’s much faster than a traditional launcher.
I switched to Niagara a few years ago when Nova was sold. True game changer once you get used to it (which doesn’t take too long). It works great on phone or tablet. And there is still something SO satisfying about watching the alphabet and apps move with your thumb. It’s so smooth and the haptic feedback is perfect (running on Pixel 7, GrapheneOS, and a cheap old Samsung tablet A8).
Random video showing the UI within the first minute:
I’ve been using Niagara for about 6 months now and love it. Having the alphabet down the side of the home screen for immediate 2 tap access to any app is so slick.
Yep, have been using and currently using Nova for the last 8 years I think. Suuucks to see it go as I couldn’t find a viable search based launcher like Nova when it was sold.
I like Olauncher a lot but I can’t do like a feature comparison with Nova, I never used it. Hope you find something good to replace it with though!
I might be misremembering but wasn’t it bought out by one of those data harvesting companies a while ago?
Yes
I don’t understand the point of most of Android launchers, since they don’tcreally look that different from each other.
That’s just not true, especially with Nova, the one this article is talking about. Nova lets you customise basically everything.
To feed you ads, or make you pay for nothing special. Nova - the launcher from the article - is great, very customizable, and lightweight.
Fuck, I’ve been using this since I got an android phone in 2008. RIP.
KISS has been the only reasonable launcher ever since Android ruined it’s overview system.
