Programs

Your desktop can quickly become a crowded space, especially if it’s a default download location, or you don’t really spend any time organizing it. Luckily, there are various specialized applications like Programs which help you keep the desktop a clean space, and launch almost any kind of file from a dedicated panel.

One of the application’s main advantages is portability, requiring no installation in order to function. This means it can even be used directly from a thumb drive, especially if there are more portable applications on the same drive. Moreover, stability of the target PC is not affected, because no changes need to be made to system registry keys.

When launched, a large, plain panel shows up, with an additional tray icon created as well. Unfortunately, the application isn’t minimized to the tray area, with the icon having little to no practicality this way.

Needless to say that the list is empty by default. On the one hand, there’s no complicated method of populating it with items, and a simple drag and drop operation being enough. On the other hand, you can add anything of interest, including documents, songs, videos, and even folders. They are not moved to different locations, and are shown as icons in the panel.

In case you’re not in the location from which you want to add items, right-clicking the panel brings up a browse dialog. It isn’t fitted with any buttons, letting you navigate to a custom location, and dragging files from there. Sadly, the application automatically closes when an item is launched, which becomes rather frustrating, since you need to launch Programs first, and then select an item of interest.

In conclusion, Programs comes with good intentions, but it’s nothing more than a customized folder which you can populate with any kind of file and folder. It can’t be minimized to the tray area, even though it creates a corresponding icon. It needs to be launched whenever you want to run a file from the list, because it automatically closes after an item runs.