What is simple-taskbar?

Simple Taskbar is a GNOME Shell extension that turns the desktop's built in panel into a configurable Windows style taskbar. Instead of replacing GNOME's existing pieces like the Activities button, clock, calendar, and Quick Settings, it combines them alongside a row of pinned and running application icons on the same panel. It currently works with GNOME Shell version 50. The extension shows both apps you have pinned as favorites and apps that are currently running, using the same list GNOME's default dock already uses, so pinning or reordering an app updates both places at once. Clicking an app icon launches, focuses, or minimizes it, a middle click opens a new window, and hovering shows a live preview of open windows that you can click to jump to or close. You can choose whether multiple windows from the same app share one button or get their own, and adjust panel position, height, icon size, spacing, colors, and transparency. Auto-hide, workspace only filtering, and a light or dark theme that can either follow the system or be set manually are also included. Beyond the taskbar itself, the extension can switch to a more traditional native GNOME panel layout for people who do not want application buttons at all, while keeping most of the same appearance settings. It also includes an optional Start Menu styled after Windows 11, with a pinned app grid, GNOME's built in search, an all apps view, recommended apps, and right click menus for launching, pinning, or managing each app. An optional folder button can also be added to the panel for quickly opening files from a chosen directory. Because it is a GNOME Shell extension rather than a standalone application, it is written in JavaScript, the language GNOME Shell extensions use, and is installed through the GNOME Extensions website rather than as a separate app you download and run. The README does not state a license.