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List of alternative shells for Windows

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{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}

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.

class="wikitable sortable"
rowspan="2" | Shellrowspan="2" | Software licensecolspan="9" | Windows versionsrowspan="2" | Development status
3.1x9x2000XPVista7810

!11

Blackbox{{free|GPL}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}

|{{yes2|Yes}}

{{Dropped|Stalled}}
BumpTop{{free|Apache License}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}

|{{yes2|Yes}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
Cairo Shell{{free|Apache License}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}

|{{yes2|Yes}}

{{Site active}}{{cite web|title=Cairo Shell Homepage|url=https://cairoshell.com/|publisher=Cairo Development Team|accessdate=25 May 2024|date=30 May 2020}}
Calmira{{free|GPL}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
Central Point Desktop{{Proprietary}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
Classic Shell{{Proprietary}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{Site inactive|Discontinued{{cite web|title=Classic Shell no longer in development. Source code released|url=http://www.classicshell.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8147|accessdate=3 January 2024}}}}
Emerge Desktop{{free|GPL}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued{{cite web|title=emergedesktop.org has shutdown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150511035450/http://www.emergedesktop.org/|publisher=Emerge|accessdate=25 March 2017|url=http://www.emergedesktop.org/|archivedate=11 May 2015}}}}
LDE(X){{free|GPL}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued{{cite web|author1=phil|title=The road ahead is a cliff face|url=http://ldex.terica.net/community/comments.php?DiscussionID=19&page=1|website=LDE(x) Forums|accessdate=25 March 2017|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026200020/http://ldex.terica.net/community/comments.php?DiscussionID=19&page=1|archivedate=26 October 2007|date=18 April 2007}}}}
LiteStep{{free|GPL}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Dropped|Stalled{{cite web|author1=Donelle|title=Re: Added .NET Framework interoperability to the core and started a c# binding library|url=https://github.com/lsdev/LiteStep/pull/1#issuecomment-271501364|website=GitHub|accessdate=25 March 2017|date=11 January 2017}}}}
Norton Desktop{{Proprietary}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
Open-Shell{{free|MIT License}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{Site active}}
Packard Bell Navigator{{Proprietary}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
NewWave{{Proprietary}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
[https://github.com/Vortesys/Program-Manager-II Program Manager II]{{free|MIT License}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{Dropped|Stalled}}
SharpEnviro{{free|GPL}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued{{cite web|title=Download SharpEnviro|url=https://sharpe.sourceforge.net/Download.html|accessdate=3 January 2024}}}}
TabWorks{{Proprietary}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}
Talisman Desktop{{proprietary|Trialware}}{{no2|No}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{yes2|Yes}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Dropped|Stalled}}{{cite web|title=Talisman Desktop|url=http://www.lighttek.com/talisman.htm|publisher=LightTek Software|accessdate=15 July 2016}}{{cite web|title=Talisman Desktop News, no updates since Aug 15, 2011|url=http://www.lighttek.com/talismannew.htm|publisher=LightTek Software|accessdate=15 July 2016}}
Xerox Rooms{{Proprietary}}{{yes2|Yes}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}{{no2|No}}

|{{no2|No}}

{{Site inactive|Discontinued}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Cite web |url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms838576.aspx |title=Windows XP Embedded – Different Shells for Different Users |last1=Liming |first1=Sean |date=August 2003 |work=Microsoft Developer Network |publisher=Microsoft |accessdate=15 November 2011}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alternative shells for Windows}}

Category:Desktop shell replacement

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Category:Computing-related lists