This article needs additional citations for
verification. (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.
Shell | Software license | Windows versions | Development status | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.1x | 9x | 2000 | XP | Vista | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | |||
Blackbox | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active |
BumpTop | Apache License | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Discontinued |
Cairo Shell | Apache License | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Stalled [1] |
Calmira | GPL | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
Central Point Desktop | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
Classic Shell | Proprietary | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Discontinued [2] |
Emerge Desktop | GPL | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Discontinued [3] |
LDE(X) | GPL | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued [4] |
LiteStep | GPL | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Stalled [5] |
Norton Desktop | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
Open-Shell | MIT License | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Active |
Packard Bell Navigator | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
ReactOS Explorer | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Active [6] [7] [8] |
SharpEnviro | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Discontinued [9] |
TabWorks | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
Talisman Desktop | Trialware | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Stalled [10] [11] |
Xerox Rooms | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
This article needs additional citations for
verification. (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.
Shell | Software license | Windows versions | Development status | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
3.1x | 9x | 2000 | XP | Vista | 7 | 8 | 10 | 11 | |||
Blackbox | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Active |
BumpTop | Apache License | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Discontinued |
Cairo Shell | Apache License | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Stalled [1] |
Calmira | GPL | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
Central Point Desktop | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
Classic Shell | Proprietary | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Discontinued [2] |
Emerge Desktop | GPL | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Discontinued [3] |
LDE(X) | GPL | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued [4] |
LiteStep | GPL | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Stalled [5] |
Norton Desktop | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
Open-Shell | MIT License | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Active |
Packard Bell Navigator | Proprietary | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
ReactOS Explorer | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Active [6] [7] [8] |
SharpEnviro | GPL | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | Discontinued [9] |
TabWorks | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |
Talisman Desktop | Trialware | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Stalled [10] [11] |
Xerox Rooms | Proprietary | Yes | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Discontinued |