List of alternative shells for Windows

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This is a list of software that provides an alternative graphical user interface for Microsoft Windows operating systems. The technical term for this interface is a shell . Windows' standard user interface is the Windows shell; Windows 3.0 and Windows 3.1x have a different shell, called Program Manager. The programs in this list do not restyle the Windows shell, but replace it; therefore, they look and function differently, and have different configuration options.

Contents

Shell Software license Windows versions Development status
3.1x 9x 2000 XP Vista 7 8 10 11
Blackbox GPL NoNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesActive
BumpTop Apache License NoNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYesDiscontinued
Cairo Shell Apache License NoNoNoNoNoYesYesYesYesActive [1]
Calmira GPL YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoDiscontinued
Central Point Desktop Proprietary YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoDiscontinued
Classic Shell Proprietary NoNoNoNoNoYesYesYesNoDiscontinued [2]
Emerge Desktop GPL NoNoYesYesYesYesNoNoNoDiscontinued [3]
LDE(X) GPL NoNoYesYesNoNoNoNoNoDiscontinued [4]
LiteStep GPL NoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoStalled [5]
Norton Desktop Proprietary YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoDiscontinued
Open-Shell MIT License NoNoNoNoNoYesYesYesYesActive
Packard Bell Navigator Proprietary YesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoDiscontinued
Program Manager II MIT License NoNoNoNoYesYesYesYesYesAlpha
ReactOS Explorer GPL NoNoNoYesYesYesYesNoNoActive [6] [7] [8]
SharpEnviro GPL NoNoNoYesYesYesNoNoNoDiscontinued [9]
TabWorks Proprietary YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoDiscontinued
Talisman Desktop Trialware NoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesNoStalled [10] [11]
Xerox Rooms Proprietary YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoDiscontinued

See also

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References

  1. "Cairo Shell Homepage". Cairo Development Team. 30 May 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  2. "Classic Shell no longer in development. Source code released" . Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  3. "emergedesktop.org has shutdown". Emerge. Archived from the original on 11 May 2015. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  4. phil (18 April 2007). "The road ahead is a cliff face". LDE(x) Forums. Archived from the original on 26 October 2007. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  5. Donelle (11 January 2017). "Re: Added .NET Framework interoperability to the core and started a c# binding library". GitHub. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  6. "ReactOS Explorer". ReactOS Project. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  7. "ReactOS Explorer source code". ReactOS Project. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  8. Fuchs, Martin. "ReactOS Explorer (original author, details)" . Retrieved 16 May 2014.
  9. "Download SharpEnviro" . Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  10. "Talisman Desktop". LightTek Software. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  11. "Talisman Desktop News, no updates since Aug 15, 2011". LightTek Software. Retrieved 15 July 2016.