Application Menu

The Application menu is Maemo's version of the Windows Start menu. It is made up of folders which contain all of your installed applications.

Contents

Menu structure

By default, the menu is made up of 6 folders which contain all of your installed applications: My selection, Internet, Communication, Utilities, Settings, and Extras. You can rearrange these applications, and create, rename and delete folders in the "Panels" control panel.

Advanced users can also edit the XML menu file directly. This is not recommended, as careless editing can damage the menu to the point where it no longer works. The XML file name is:

~/.osso/menus/applications.menu

.desktop files

The application entries in the Application menu are generated from .desktop files that are added when an application is installed.

The .desktop files are generally found in the following directory:

/usr/share/applications/hildon

The syntax for .desktop -files can be found in article Desktop file format

Alternatives

There are a number of alternatives to the Application menu for launching applications. They are all available in Extras.

Personal Launcher

Personal Launcher is a desktop applet that is visible from your home screen. You can add application (and command) shortcuts to it for one-tap access to your favorite programs.

Personal Menu

Personal Menu is very similar to Personal Launcher, except it's a menu instead of a desktop applet. This makes it a more direct replacement for the Application menu.