List of alternative shells for Windows
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 the shell. Windows' standard user interface is called Windows shell; Windows 3.0 and Windows 3.1x have a different shell, called Program Manager. The programs in this list don't restyle the Windows shell, but replace it; therefore, they look and function differently, and have different configuration options.
| Shell | Software license | Windows versions | Development status | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1x | 9x | 2000 | XP | Vista | 7 | 8 | |||
| BumpTop | Apache License | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Discontinued |
| Calmira | GPL | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
| Classic Shell | Freeware | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Active |
| Emerge Desktop | GPL | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Discontinued |
| KDE Plasma Workspaces | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Stalled |
| LDE(X) | GPL | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Discontinued |
| LiteStep | GPL | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Stalled |
| Packard Bell Navigator | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
| Pokki | Freeware | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Active |
| ReactOS Explorer | GPL | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active[1][2][3] |
| ReactOS Explorer-New | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active[4][5] |
| RetroUI | Trialware | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Active |
| SharpEnviro | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Discontinued |
| TabWorks | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
| Talisman Desktop | Trialware | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active |
See also
- Comparison of Start menu replacements for Windows 8
- Comparison of X Window System desktop environments
- Desktop environment
- History of the graphical user interface
- Microsoft Bob
- Removal of Internet Explorer
References
- ↑ "ReactOS Explorer". ReactOS Project. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ↑ "ReactOS Explorer source code". ReactOS Project. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ↑ Fuchs, Martin. "ReacOS Explorer (original author, details)". Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ↑ "ReactOS Explorer". ReactOS Project. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ↑ "ReactOS Explorer-New source code". ReactOS Project. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
External links
- Liming, Sean (August 2003). "Windows XP Embedded – Different Shells for Different Users". Microsoft Developer Network. Microsoft. Retrieved 15 November 2011.