j0rdiun/cosmic-ext-app-switcher

cosmic-ext-app-switcher is a replacement for the default app-switching overlay on the COSMIC desktop environment, which is used on Pop!_OS (a Linux distribution made by System76). The default COSMIC switcher shows a vertical list when you press Super+Tab. This project replaces it with a horizontal strip of application icons centered on the screen, similar to the app switcher you see on macOS. Installing it is straightforward. A one-line script downloads and installs a pre-built binary with no Rust compiler required. If you prefer to build from source, you install a couple of development dependencies, clone the repository, and run a single make command. No logout is needed after installation, and the changes take effect immediately. The switcher works with the keyboard shortcuts already familiar on the desktop. Pressing Super+Tab or Alt+Tab opens the switcher and cycles forward through open windows. Adding Shift to either combination cycles backward. Releasing the modifier key activates the selected window, and pressing Escape cancels without changing focus. You can also click an icon to select and activate a window with the mouse. The enable and disable system is simple: a few make commands let you register the switcher, remove it and restore the default, or check its current state. It works by telling COSMIC's compositor (the software that manages windows and rendering on screen) to run this binary whenever the window-switching shortcut fires. The code uses Wayland protocols (the standard communication layer for Linux desktop graphics) to list open windows, show a centered overlay panel, and activate the chosen window. The project is written in Rust, produces binaries for both standard x86_64 and ARM aarch64 processor architectures, and is released under the MIT license.