Several questions have mentioned launcher. What is it responsible for, and what kinds of features do the alternative apps in the Market provide that the basic android launcher doesn't?

I'm currently using LauncherPro which lets me have 4x5 icons and a bar at the bottom of my home screen. Are there any alternative Launcher apps that will let me cram more in?

When I remove my Motorola Droid from my docking station, my home screen is blank for a long time. It sometimes takes over 10 seconds for my app icons to display, and even longer for widgets to display. Is there any way to eliminate this pause? Am I doing something wrong? NOTE: I am using the LauncherPro app as a launcher/home screen app, but I get the same behavior with the default Android launcher app.

Possible Duplicate: I checked 'use as default' when choosing the default launcher, but now I can't start ADW.Launcher any more I've installed and set up LauncherPro as a replacement launcher app. How do I reset the phone to use the Android default launcher app?