Slingshot is a Mac OS X style Launchpad for Ubuntu and Debian Linux, much like JumpPad is for Windows. Slingshot can be integrated to the Unity Launcher to quickly access files and applications. See the below instructions to install and create a Unity launcher for Slingshot.
You can install Slingshot from the following Terminal commands:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:elementaryart/elementary-dev sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install slingshot-launcher
Note: This PPA, is a bit unstable at the moment and might cause issues. It is advised to backup your system just in case you require reverting to the old changes. To create a Unity launcher, enter the following command in the Terminal.
sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/slingshot.desktop
Then enter the following in the text pad which will pop-up. You can replace the path “Icon=/usr/share/icons/logo-black.svg” with the path where you might have an icon file for the launcher.
[Desktop Entry]
Version=1.0
Type=Application
Terminal=false
Exec=slingshot
Name=Slingshot
Icon=/usr/share/icons/logo-black.svg
You can navigate to /usr/share/applications/ to drag and drop the icon to the Unity Launcher for making a shortcut. If you do not have a file to replace the icon, it will appear as a blank launcher icon (as shown in the below screenshot).
You can find out more about Slingshot from the Launchpad.
