Pros of Albert

• Written in C++ and Qt, potentially offering better performance
• More mature project with a larger community and longer development history
• Supports a wider range of Linux distributions out-of-the-box

Cons of Albert

• Limited to Linux platforms, lacking cross-platform support
• Less modern user interface compared to Ueli's sleek design
• Steeper learning curve for configuration and customization

Code Comparison

Albert (C++):

void MainWindow::show() {
    QWidget::show();
    if (QApplication::platformName() != "offscreen")
        updatePosition();
}

Ueli (TypeScript):

public show(): void {
    this.mainWindow.show();
    this.mainWindow.focus();
    this.mainWindow.setAlwaysOnTop(true);
}

Both projects implement a show() method for their main window, but Albert's implementation includes platform-specific checks and position updates, while Ueli's focuses on window focus and always-on-top behavior.

Pros of Wox

• More extensive plugin ecosystem with a wider range of functionalities
• Supports both Python and C# for plugin development, offering greater flexibility
• Has a larger and more active community, potentially leading to faster issue resolution and feature updates

Cons of Wox

• Less frequent updates and maintenance compared to Ueli
• User interface may feel less modern and polished than Ueli's
• Slightly higher resource usage due to its broader feature set

Code Comparison

Wox (Python plugin example):

from wox import Wox

class HelloWorld(Wox):
    def query(self, query):
        return [{"Title": "Hello World", "SubTitle": "Query: {}".format(query)}]

if __name__ == "__main__":
    HelloWorld()

Ueli (JavaScript plugin example):

module.exports = {
  search: (input) => {
    return [{
      name: "Hello World",
      description: `Query: ${input}`,
      icon: "path/to/icon.png",
      action: () => console.log("Action executed")
    }];
  }
};

Both Wox and Ueli offer powerful launcher functionalities, but they cater to slightly different user preferences. Wox provides a more extensive plugin ecosystem and development options, while Ueli focuses on a modern, streamlined experience with frequent updates. The choice between the two largely depends on the user's specific needs and preferred development environment.

Pros of fsearch

• Written in C, potentially offering better performance for file searching
• Designed specifically for file system searches, which may be more efficient for this use case
• Supports advanced search options like regular expressions and filtering by file type

Cons of fsearch

• Limited to file searching functionality, while ueli offers a broader range of features
• Less cross-platform compatibility (primarily focused on Linux)
• May have a steeper learning curve for users unfamiliar with command-line interfaces

Code Comparison

fsearch (C):

static void
fsearch_application_startup(GApplication *application)
{
    FsearchApplication *self = FSEARCH_APPLICATION(application);
    fsearch_window_new(self);
}

ueli (TypeScript):

export function startApp(): void {
    const mainWindow = createMainWindow();
    registerGlobalShortcuts(mainWindow);
    initializePlugins();
    loadUserSettings();
}

The code snippets show different approaches to application startup. fsearch uses a C-based GTK application structure, while ueli employs TypeScript with a more modular approach typical of Electron applications.

fsearch focuses on creating a search window, whereas ueli's startup process includes additional steps like registering shortcuts and initializing plugins, reflecting its broader functionality.