Arnaud Michel

Desktop Development··Rust, GTK4

Launcher Studio

An open-source desktop application to create and manage application launchers (.desktop files) on GNOME-based Linux systems.
Author avatar Arnaud Michel
Project manager, developer
Website Git Repository

Launcher Studio is a modern, user-friendly GTK4 application designed to help Linux users easily create and manage .desktop launchers.
It provides a simple interface to edit metadata, assign icons, define categories, and control launcher behavior — without manually editing text files.

Technical details

Technologies

Rust

Rust ensures performance, reliability, and memory safety throughout the entire application.

GTK4

GTK4 provides a modern and elegant UI toolkit, perfectly integrated into GNOME environments.

Libadwaita

Used for adaptive design, responsive layout, and seamless dark/light mode support.

Flatpak

Packaged as a Flatpak for easy distribution and sandboxed execution.

My role in the project

Project manager

  • Designed and organized the development roadmap
  • Managed GitHub issues and milestones
  • Ensured UI consistency following GNOME HIG guidelines

Developer

  1. Launcher editor — Core feature allowing creation and modification of .desktop entries.
  2. File validation — Ensures metadata complies with FreeDesktop specifications.
  3. Icon selector — Integrated icon browser and file picker.
  4. Category manager — Easy selection and editing of launcher categories.
  5. Real-time preview — Live preview of the resulting launcher file.

Skills developed

  • Rust programming: mastering GUI development and asynchronous patterns in Rust.
  • GTK & Libadwaita: building accessible, adaptive interfaces.
  • Flatpak packaging: creating distributable Linux desktop apps.
  • Project structuring: modular architecture and documentation.

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