Please Read Warning Below: Help us test the new Minecraft launcher!

WARNING: Do not use this version without backing up your .minecraft folder, your profiles will be reset if you try using the normal launcher - Baradar67

EDIT: How dare you edit my post without my knowledge. You sly bunny. - Unoski

From Reddit's Dinnerbone
Reddit Thread

Some of you know that me and /u/MansOlson have been working on a new Minecraft launcher for some time now, and we're ready to show it off and get some testing on it!
This new launcher is completely native, doesn't use Java at all. We were able to make it much faster than the current launcher, give it new things that you can't currently do... and it looks just so much better!
We currently have a build for Windows and OSX, but we'll try to have a Linux one ready for testing shortly. Please let me know if you encounter anything that you think behaves weird, doesn't do what you expect, or just outright crashes. We'll also accept any general feedback, like "I think it looks ugly (here's why, and here's what I think would look better)" or "I really like how fast it is!". Any feedback is good feedback!
It will run separately from your current Minecraft launcher, but will use your current settings/worlds/etc. However, if you choose to go back to the old launcher then it will erase your launcher settings (such as login credentials) and you will have to log back in again. Sorry! (You can find a backup of the launcher_profiles.json in your game directory though, when downgrading.)
At the end of this public test, the launcher will alert you that the full version is out and your regular launcher will update automatically. You can then delete this test version.
Please note that this is an experimental test version and may be buggy or outright broken!
FAQ
What platforms does this run on?

• Windows: 7 and 10. Anything lower will automatically run the java launcher. Sorry!
• OSX: 10.7 and higher. This is the same as the current launcher.
• Linux: None as of yet, but we're having our top man look into it.
  The top man's name is Shoghi.

Do I need Java installed?
Nope. Not at all! We'll download and maintain our own version of Java, much like the current launcher does. This is used for the game, and can be overridden. The launcher itself doesn't need Java.

Why?
The current java launcher has never satisfied us; it looks bad and it really doesn't provide a good user experience. We wanted to change that, and to make a product that we can better maintain going forwards. Besides, it lets your change your skin!

I found a bug. What do?
Please leave a comment with the following:

1. The launcher version number (The bottom left corner. See this screenshot for reference.)
2. What you did, what you expected to happen, and what really happened. ("I clicked on play and thought it'd play. It blew up.")
3. A gist of the following files, found in your .minecraft directory:
   1. launcher_log.txt
   2. nativelog.txt
   3. nativeUpdaterlog.txt
4. A screenshot of the error if it's something visual.

I don't like the way it looks. Change is scary!
That's cool. Would you like to tell us why?
This is really useful feedback:

I don't like the help page. It's too cramped and the font is too hard to read. I think it would be better if the text were purple and there were some kind of anthropomorphic paperclip who could help me directly.

This is useful feedback:

I don't like the layout of the launch configurations page.

This is, well, at least it's feedback:

I don't like your face.

How do I [..] in the new launcher?
I'd like for you to discover that yourself! You should be able to do everything you can do from the current launcher. If you're really struggling to find something then please let us know, so we can investigate making it easier to find or friendlier to use.

How do I mine for fish?
Wrong game, buddy.

Shut up and give me the links!
Okay, okay! Here you go.

• Windows: https://launcher.mojang.com/mc-staging/download/Minecraft_staging.zip
  • Extract it to somewhere before running. It will make a bunch of files in the same directory as the exe!
• OSX: https://launcher.mojang.com/mc-staging/download/Minecraft_staging.dmg
  • Mount it, drag it to your application directory.
• Linux: coming soon...

Hmm... I might check it out later.

People actually close Minecraft?

Aaaanyway, I'll probably give this a try as well. I'm actually not too unhappy with the default launcher, especially because it easily allows me to switch between my two accounts.

I keep mine closed for months at a time lol

...

Ok, this is a bit peculiar...

That looks like a blatant lie:

The first thing this launcher does is to download this runtime directory (I also tried to remove it). And it gets even worse, the Java version which this launcher is using is an outdated version as well:

Theoretically this shouldn't cause too many problems, but considering how this launcher is using Internet connections (to retrieve the news for example, or to retrieve those server jar files) I'm not very excited about seeing it pull in some outdated Java version.

So yeah, this is definitely not something I'll be using anytime soon.

(Edit):

WARNING, WARNING, WARNING

I strongly suggest that you DO NOT use this broken piece of "broken code" (p.o.s.) because it will severely mess up your current launcher.

It's not merely an issue of using outdated Java versions (which is bad in itself), it also destroyed all of the profiles I had set up in the previous launcher. When I started the old launcher I had to log on again and for real: all my 8 profiles were gone.

Thank you Mojang!

It's not too much of an issue for me because I had backups, but seriously... This is not how software is supposed to behave.

And this is why I let other people test first.

Thanks for posting. Cringe worthy piece of software and testing plan.

Does the new launcher prevent alts? That doesn't make a whole lot of sense on mojangs part, unless they think people with alts take up too many name combos *eye roll* I mean, alts just make Mojang more money right?

I read the post, I also read the mentioned items below it but the original Reddit post (I assume that's what Unoski was quoting) still mentioned that it doesn't use Java.

But even so: for me it's another solid reason not to use this and more: advice others not to do so as well. I've seen many Minecraft problems which were eventually solved by upgrading Java to the latest version as well as (optionally) the display drivers. With this new setup you lose control over which Java version is being used by the game, because initially the runtime is meant to be used for that.

But as I already demonstrated: doesn't take away the fact that they're still using quite an outdated Java version, even Oracle themselves warns you not to use JRE 8u51 for production. And well, that archive page also clearly shows just how old u51 actually is, more than a year.

Surely they could have updated their runtime within a years time?

It might be better, it might be worse, I don't know.
But I probably won't switch until it's needed for anything I'd want.
I switched to the current one because of the ease of downloading snapshots, that's definitely a very nice feature.

Though there are some annoying bugs, it does have some very nice features that I took some time to see what they are.

• Generally nicer looking
• Skin changing/viewing on the launcher: https://i.gyazo.com/f9211ba73c79c08a47a75396d0bc63b8.png
• Easier to switch accounts (but only makes it so you can play one at a time): https://i.gyazo.com/bad024560475300cbc679f3dbd290740.png
• Assign each version a block to help sort it. https://i.gyazo.com/ca08f69de5211109ab0ce9fad49853ae.gif
• You may edit/delete current configurations (the different things you use to change versions) if you want
• From the Help button on the upper right, it gives useful links to several community websites (PlanetMinecraft, minecraftwiki, MinecraftMods, MinecraftForum)

I've added warnings to the title and OP, its a nasty way to test stuff by breaking the old launcher profiles. Copy your .minecraft somewhere else before using this launcher.

On the java point, the current launcher is still using java 8u25 which is getting pretty old. Hopefully the new one keeps it up to date and then lets the devs think they know which one people are using.

If you want to use the latest java on Windows add the following line to your profile under executable (and tick the box):
C:\ProgramData\Oracle\Java\javapath\javaw.exe. If it doesnt work then you should update/install java again.

From the latest.log file I see this when using the executable above (detail added by forge):
Java Version: 1.8.0_111, Oracle Corporation

Without the executable
Java Version: 1.8.0_25, Oracle Corporation

And once again, Linux gets second-class treatment... *sigh*.

I tend to agree with the concerns of ShelLuser about the JRE version - if that new launcher downloads an outdated version of the JRE, then I see no reason to use it. Actually, that would be a very good reason for me not to use it; I've a hard time enough to get both ma colleagues and friends grasp the idea that installing outdated software is bad for security, so I'd definitely not show them a software that does exactly that.

That being said, I've tested your launcher anyway (using Virtualbox). First thing I noticed: it superbly ignores the fact that I already have a JRE (actually, a full JDK) installed, and downloads its own JRE. Ok, I know that Mojang did the same with its own new launcher, but yeah, that's also why I don't use it.

Second, your launcher is about 35MB in size. I don't have a shortage of space on my hard disk, but why such a weight for what's nothing more than a pretty interface to avoid a command line? I'd appreciate if you slimmed things down a bit.

Third, I saw there was an option to switch between normal and advanced mode of configuration, and that's good. But I'd have liked, in the normal mode, to be presented with a pretty formatting of commonly used command-line options. For example, get a "Maximum amount of memory Minecraft can use: [...]" that would add the -Xmx option. One burden of the official launcher is that if you don't know Java well, editing the default cli options can be hard. So I think it would be nice to help players with these.

So, my feelings towards this project are not great so far, I have to admit. Putting aside the JRE version issue, I really wonder - what is the point? It wasn't any faster than the regular launcher on my system (and anyway what takes the most time for me is the jar launch itself). It was using more disk space. It isn't currently playing well with existing profiles. And it gives the same options as the current launcher. Apart from the ability to skin it, I don't really see the differentiating feature that would make me using it. I'll formulate it another way, maybe - for me, the launcher should give me an easy, convenient way to configure how to launch the game and easily switch between various option sets; that it looks pretty is merely a bonus. I somehow have the feeling that your priorities were reversed compared to mine, and as such, my experience was quite disappointing.

Oh, and one last thing, that is, for me, a fundamental show-stopper (apart the lack of Linux support): make it opensource, or I won't use it. Not because of philosophical reasons (note that I said 'opensource', not necessarily 'free'/'libre'), but out of plain boring security concerns. You are not Mojang, and I have to enter my username+password in a software you created. Giving passwords to unverifiable third-party software is definitely not something I'd recommend to anyone or do myself with anything but a test/scrap account.

My apologises if you find my return of experience disappointing or disagree with it. Those are just my own feelings, and I believe it would have been a disservice for you to not be honest with you.

Good luck with your project!

Lauwenmark, who are you responding to? The OP has listed a new Mojang beta launcher that was shown to a reddit subforum.

Oh, great gods... I may have missed that small tiny bit of information... Just add my post to the wonderful Hall of Shame(tm) while I get some coffee...

But it is still a nicely written post.

New Update.
From Reddit:

Following on from the previous post about the new launcher (please read that link if you don't know what's going on), we've released a new build of the launcher today that has some important bug fixes & a very big new feature: You can now run multiple copies of Minecraft at the same time, much easier than before! It also should fix modded versions, but please let me know if you find that there's still some issues with that.
Changelog
General:

• Now supports running multiple instances of Minecraft at the same time
• Can now be kept open while the game is running, letting you access things like the help page
• Now backs up launcher_profiles.json (profiles, logins, etc) before migrating settings to new launcher
• Made launch options slightly smaller, so that more of them can fit in the same space
• The button to add a new launch option is now at the top of the list
• "Keep launcher open" and "Show game log" are now separate settings
• [Bug fix] Fixed running modded versions. Please let us know if you have any further issues with this.
• [Bug fix] Resolution settings should now work properly
• [Bug fix] Fixed an issue where opening the game directory would give an error message even when it worked
• [Bug fix] Pressing "Del" in input fields no longer removes the rest of the line
• [Bug fix] Pressing tab on the news page no longer messes with the news carousel
• [Bug fix] Fixed a crash that would sometimes happen when the game closed
• [Bug fix] Selecting input with your mouse and hitting backspace on the keyboard should now properly delete the input
• [Bug fix] The version information page no longer selects all text when you click it

Windows:

• Running the launcher from a non-C drive should now work. We're aware there's still lingering issues with running the launcher at all for some users.
• Clicking the .exe again while the game is open now brings back the launcher window instead of doing nothing
• [Bug fix] Fixed an issue with the self updater. Unfortunately, this may mean that you'll have to redownload the new launcher to get updates.

Linux support is still underway. We're getting very close - the launcher works, but we're not yet done with distribution.
Download Links:
Due to a bug in the update script of the last launcher, you'll need to redownload it to get the new version. Trying to update (on Windows, at least) will give you an error about failing to move files.

• Windows: https://launcher.mojang.com/mc-staging/download/Minecraft_staging.zip
  • Extract it to somewhere before running. It will make a bunch of files in the same directory as the exe!
• OSX: https://launcher.mojang.com/mc-staging/download/Minecraft_staging.dmg
  • Mount it, drag it to your application directory.
• Linux: almost ready, but not today sorry!

"I get a problem moving Minecraft_staigng.exe with error code 32, what do I do?"
Read the above please! Delete your current exe and redownload it from the above link.
"I found a bug. What do?"

Please leave a comment with the following:

1. The launcher version number (The bottom left corner. See this screenshot for reference.)
2. What you did, what you expected to happen, and what really happened. ("I clicked on play and thought it'd play. It blew up.")
3. A gist of the following files, found in either your .minecraft directory or next to the executable:
   1. launcher_log.txt
   2. nativelog.txt
   3. nativeUpdaterLog.txt (may not exist. It's ok if it doesn't!)

"I didn't find a bug. What do?"
Tell us your feedback! Even knowing that it works at all is a very good thing. Like it or hate it, just let us know what you think