Microsoft

Five cool alternatives to the Windows 7 desktop shell

By // March 19, 2012, 7:43 AM PST // jlwallen

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  • Introduction

    Some users think that the Windows Explorer shell is a fine desktop. But if you've played around in the land of Linux for a while, that less-than-flexible Explorer interface may not work for you. One solution is to install a replacement Explorer shell. There are plenty of shells to choose from, some open source, some proprietary. Here's a rundown of five of the most appealing choices.

    Note: If you'd prefer to view this information as a blog post, check out this entry in our Five Apps blog.

    Photo: iStockphoto.com/TopStep2005TopStep2005

  • Aston Shell

    Aston Shell is one of the most feature-rich of all the replacements. With plenty of add-ins, plug-ins, themes, and widgets to play with, the Aston desktop can become pretty much anything you like.

  • Aston Shell

    Aston Share also offers animated skins and themes, live wallpaper, effects, and much more. It's shareware and will run you $29.95.

  • SharpEnviro

    SharpEnviro may remind you of Classic GNOME. It's designed to provide a flexible, user-friendly desktop shell that pleases both new and advanced users.

  • SharpEnviro

    ShareEnviro will especially appeal to users who want to be able to customize every aspect of their desktop. This shell is open source, so it's free of charge.

  • WindowBlinds

    WindowBlinds, by Stardock, used to be a full-blown desktop shell replacement, but now it's a tool for improving the look and feel of the Windows 7 shell.

  • WindowBlinds

    You won't be adding widgets and new and improved menus with WindowBlinds. But the enhanced appearance of the Windows 7 interface can be fairly dramatic. This shell costs $19.95

  • bbLean

    bbLean is one of two BlackBox clones we'll look at here. BlackBox was always considered one of the lightest, fastest window managers in the Linux environment. So if you want a desktop shell for Windows that is incredibly fast and minimal, bbLean is a great choice.

  • bbLean

    bbLean also offers hotkeys, window skinning, the slit, the taskbar, the icon box, and the mouse menu. Lean and fast. It's open source, so it's free of charge.

  • Xoblite

    Xoblite is also a BlackBox clone for Windows. It offers a few more advanced features than bbLean, such as plugins, some extra tools, and a font pack. The default Xoblite desktop is similar to that of bbLean, but out of the box it looks more polished and advanced.

  • Xoblite

    Xoblite isn't quite as lightning fast as bbLean, but it offers more features and power. Like bbLean, Xoblite is open source, so it's free of charge.

Introduction

Some users think that the Windows Explorer shell is a fine desktop. But if you've played around in the land of Linux for a while, that less-than-flexible Explorer interface may not work for you. One solution is to install a replacement Explorer shell. There are plenty of shells to choose from, some open source, some proprietary. Here's a rundown of five of the most appealing choices.

Note: If you'd prefer to view this information as a blog post, check out this entry in our Five Apps blog.

Photo: iStockphoto.com/TopStep2005TopStep2005

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Microsoft Enterprise Software Software Collaboration Mobility Cloud Hardware

By Jack Wallen

Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic and Linux.com. He’s an avid promoter of open source and the voice of The Android Expert. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.com.