Alternative Windows 7 desktop. A guide to alternative shells for Windows

More recently, the computer was a pastime for young people and office dwellers. But now uniqueness has already been elevated to the forefront. There are many ways to stand out from the crowd. The simplest, for those who are completely frostbitten and lack imagination, is to buy some English football club or pick a Faberge egg on sale. But this is not our way. We will show everyone “Kuzka’s mother” for real - we will change the appearance of the desktop. There are plenty of ways to do this. The latest operating systems already provide a surrogate for such a replacement - there you can change the pictures on your desktop with enviable regularity. And if you are a lover of the classics and don’t fall for the newfangled hobbies of Vista and Seven, then this is no longer up to you. Yes, but we already said that this is a surrogate. What is more real? These are graphical shells. Here are some of them we will now consider.

Yahoo Widgets

This is an American shell. The development is old, and at the beginning, it was called Konfabulator. The program works not only with Windows (XP and higher), there are versions for Mac OS. Has its own website. Yahoo Widgets will not change the appearance of your operating system, but one of the advantages of this shell is a huge pile of additional widgets, more than six thousand. Choice for every taste: weather forecast, players, listening to Internet radio. There are 20 sections in total. And in each section there are from 70 to 700 mini programs. And at the same time, they do not loom before your eyes, but are hidden. And they appear only when you need it. This shell works quite quickly. Doesn't load the system much. These widgets run on Adobe flash. Well, the main thing is that this shell is free.

Manufacturer: Yahoo! Inc.
Where to get it: www.widgets.yahoo.com
Program version: 4.5
,Mac OS X

Bumptop

This shell, of all the ones we have reviewed, is distinguished by its animated and three-dimensional design. Well, roughly speaking, in front of the user, instead of the usual desktop, there will be a kind of view of the room. The user chooses where to look at it - from above, from the side or at an angle. The program has a sufficient number of topics, from the boring “Mario” to futuristic abstractions. You can have fun with the contents of your desktop in Bumptop. Everything that is in sight can be dumped into a heap, you can throw it against the wall. And according to physical laws, it will bounce off the wall and fly further. What's interesting here is the thoughtful selection. You can select anything and in any shape - there is no ordinary rectangle here. When you right-click on a folder, a radial menu appears - “More”, “Reduce” and “Increase”. The program works with Windows from XP and higher and there is a version for Mac OS. Until 2010, it was distributed free of charge. But then Google bought the developers of this program. And now it is not officially distributed. But there are fresh distributions on the Internet: those who look for them will find them.

Manufacturer: Bump Technologies Inc.
Where to get it: www.bumptop.com
Program version: 2.10

Distribution type: Freeware

Talisman Desktop

This utility is quite old, but like good cognac, its design only improves with age. Her ability to make them a simple desktop is a real masterpiece. Let's make a reservation right away - the program is paid, but the Russian version has a special price. Works only under Windows XP and higher. This shell has a very useful function of protecting desktop contents from changes and organizing access to selected functions via a password. This bells and whistles make it possible to use Talisman Desktop on public computers and even on touch terminals.

It is especially necessary to emphasize the presence of such a topic as “Media Center”. This theme turns your computer into a multimedia center. And access from this topic is allowed only to media files. This function will be appreciated by lovers of noisy home parties, with plenty of “chest” reception.

In the latest version, many bugs were fixed. But some inconveniences remained. For example, to get to the properties of an object, you must first go to the theme properties and only from there access the properties of the desired element. The Start menu is called up with the right button - this is not very convenient.

But this shell also has a plus - an excellent theme builder. And if you manage to make a really creative theme, and it appeals to the creators of the program, then it is added to the official catalog, and the successful theme creator receives a free key to the distribution. So how? It's still a temptation.

Manufacturer: Lighttek Software
Where to get it: www.lighttek.com
Program version: 3.4
Supported OS: XP, Vista, 7
Distribution type: Shareware, $25

Aston Shell

This is a domestic program and will not create any special differences from the standard desktop, but at first, this shell seems something futuristic. However, disappointment comes quite quickly, because you have to change established user habits. It seems that everything is the same, and there are no special changes, but it is possible to create a sidebar. In which there will be applications divided into blocks by function. For example – “Utilities”, “Games”, etc. It is possible to use animation. The selection of animated wallpapers is not that great, but this is just the beginning. The desktop can be customized to suit every taste and color. In general, the Aston Shell is beautiful, comfortable, simple and unobtrusive. Designed for Windows, from XP and later.

Manufacturer: Gladiators Software
Where to get it: www.astonshell.ru
Program version: 2.0.3
Supported OS: XP, Vista, 7
Distribution type: Shareware, 400 RUR

Object Desktop

This development is different from all others. Let's start with the fact that the creators split the usual shell into a dozen separate utilities, each of which performs a separate function. DeskScapes - animates wallpaper, FencesPro - groups shortcuts, SkinStudio - helps you create your own interfaces, Tiles - creates a sidebar in open windows, Theme Manager - a management utility for these and other widgets. But that's not all. The fact is that each of these programs is paid. And the price is steep. But the mercy of the manufacturer made it possible to buy everything en masse, for an indecent 50 American rubles (!). And this is for a year, then you need to renew the license for use for 70% of the original cost. From this it is clear that even though the developer is American, it could not have happened without Israeli influence. Because they do not control their desires.

In general, between us, this development is nothing special. Any of the shells reviewed above makes the same changes to the desktop, if not for free, then for a much lower price. Moreover, paid once and for life. And the lion's share of Object Desktop's capabilities has already been implemented in Viste and 7. But since this collection is still being sold, it means there is demand. This is truly true - “without a sucker, life is bad.”

Manufacturer: Stardock
Where to get it: www.stardock.com
Program version: 2010
Supported OS: XP, Vista, 7
Distribution type: Shareware, $50

SharpE

This is a very interesting shell. Changes her appearance 100%. There is something bewitching about her. Well, firstly, what previously opened when you clicked the right mouse button, now opens by clicking on the button located on the panel at the top of the screen. Moreover, this button is a hybrid between the clock and “Start”. And the drop-down menu is the plugins panel. The standard delivery contains a widget for managing Winamp, notes and a weather plugin. In addition, the top panel displays the load level of processors, RAM and paging file. There are three panels at the bottom of the screen. The system tray has migrated to the left side of the screen, and the desktop manager is on the right. At the bottom in the middle is a panel that displays all running applications.

The disadvantages of this shell include the English language, and the advantages are that it is free and fairly stable. It works under Windows. As usual, from XP and above.

Manufacturer: SharpE Development Team
Where to get it: www.sharpe-shell.org
Supported OS: XP, Vista, 7
Distribution type: Freeware

Alternative or surrogate?

As a result, it should be noted that the relevance of many programs for decorations was observed during the times of XP. With the advent of Vista, followed by Windows 7, the need for this began to approach zero. Most of what shells offer is available in the latest operating systems. Of course, you can strive for individualism and try by hook or by crook to become different from others. But who knows where the line is that separates Dzhigurda’s individualism from Bori Moiseev.

Of course, these programs are worth a try. But that's all. After all, no matter what super-duper tuning you do on the ZAZ 969, it won’t get any better. Everyone knows that “They are greeted by their clothes, but they are seen off…”. But if you really want it, then try it YahooWidgets. It is useful, and besides, if you don’t need widgets, they can be easily hidden.

Content Introduction

A large number of novice Windows users sincerely consider the standard interface of the operating system to be its integral part. In fact, this is a misconception. The taskbar, main menu, system tray, desktop icons and other interface elements are created and processed by a separate class of programs - shells. By default, explorer.exe is used for such purposes in Windows.

You can install a software product that replaces the functions of a standard interface processing tool. At the same time, the new program may offer fundamentally different methods for organizing user interaction.

In this article you will not find programs that run on the system only as applications. The article is not a guide to decorations and improvements to the standard interface. This is a guide to alternative shells for Windows that work in place of the explorer.exe module.

Object Desktop

"Heavyweight" in the field of shell replacements (the official name of such shells) - both in functionality and in size and price. In fact, this is a whole set of programs for completely customizing the appearance of Windows. Its main components are the well-known program for customizing the graphical interface WindowBlinds, a replacement for the DesktopX Desktop, utilities for creating pop-up menus, hotkeys, panels (ObjectBar) and visual effects (WindowFX), various cursors (CursorXP) and Desktop themes ( WinStyles). Since in this case we are interested in alternative Windows desktop, then we'll focus on DesktopX and WindowBlinds.

DesktopX is not a self-contained shell - it is more of a theme and skin manager for the Desktop. With its help, you can also create your own desktop objects, be it shortcuts to applications, folders, or simply decorative elements ranging in size from 16 16 to 64 64 pixels with the ability to animate them. Additional themes can be downloaded from the website www.wincustomize.com or create them yourself using the Winstyles utility from the same company.

WindowBlinds is one of the most popular programs for changing the Windows GUI. Thanks to it, it is easy to “remake” the OS interface for Mac OS, Windows XP and 3.11, etc., using ready-made “skins” or creating them yourself (in SkinStudio). The registered version of WindowBlinds provides additional settings for the taskbar, scrolling, etc. and a larger number of supported programs. Unfortunately, the latest version of the program - 4.1 - only works with Windows 2000/XP, and only 3.5 is available for owners of 98/Me.

Yes, and in the end we should mention one more nuance of Object Desktop: all of its components can be downloaded separately on the developer’s website www.stardock.com. If you want to install them simultaneously, then to do this you need to register for free in the Stardock.net zone and download the Stardock Central utility, with which you can install the Object Desktop modules of interest to the user.

LiteStep v. 0.24.6 LiteStep v. 0.24.6 Freeware Developer LiteStep Development Team Website www.litestep.net Upload File Size 1.1 MB + Free; modular structure; excellent functionality - Not a very user-friendly interface; customization by editing text files ! An excellent choice for those who like to fine-tune the system “for themselves” The undoubted leader among a large cohort of free alternative Windows shells. The program allows you to completely change the appearance and functionality of the Windows graphical interface (GUI), which is not available when working in Explorer. But nothing in this world comes for free, and in this case, you have to pay for the functionality and beauty of LiteStep with absolutely unintuitive configuration of the program - by editing text files. So, we seem to have sorted out the shortcomings, it’s time to move on to the advantages of the program. The most important of them is its modular structure, which allows you to connect to it all kinds of plugins created by third-party developers. Due to this, the full power of LiteStep is realized - for example, hotkey modules, command line or context menu (which are head and shoulders above their counterparts from the standard Windows shell in terms of functionality), virtual desktop manager and much more. True, sometimes something doesn’t work well with the work of some plugins, but there’s nothing you can do about it - that’s what an open-source project is for. Naturally, there is also a huge number of different themes - by the way, you can create them yourself. Thanks to the incredible flexibility of customization and the maximum freedom of creativity provided to the user, the themes differ extremely greatly from each other - often you can understand that it is LiteStep in front of you only by delving into the insides of the shell, since this cannot be said by appearance. Thus, LiteStep will be a reasonable alternative to Explorer for experienced users who are not afraid to manually edit text files with program settings; those who are inexperienced in this matter need to study in detail a very voluminous help system...

Win3D build 2000

A very unusual shell that transforms your desktop into real 3D. Forget about the usual desktop and the native Main Menu - instead, Win3D offers four “rooms” (Internet, Office, Games, Multimedia), where the user’s favorite applications are located. So, compartment Office contains three-dimensional shortcuts of popular office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint...) that accurately display their function: for Excel it is a chart, for Word it is a sheet of paper, and Basket was awarded a hatch on the floor. Shortcuts to frequently used folders are also presented in the form of boxes ( My Documents, Desktop, Program Files, logical drives, etc.) and nearby - screen settings, keyboard layout, mouse and peripherals.

The department makes an unforgettable impression Games, made in the form of a three-section hemisphere, on the inner surface of which game shortcuts are located. There are links on the Internet Favorite, shortcuts for calling the email client and browser, and the section Multimedia is dedicated to the corresponding software installed on the user’s PC. Well, one of the Win3D “walls” can be adapted for a slide show of “wallpaper” and photos, not to mention instantly changing the color of any interface component. Unfortunately, despite its attractive appearance, using this shell in everyday work is, to put it mildly, not very convenient. But simply “traveling” from compartment to compartment is a real pleasure, so everyone is recommended to take a look at Win3D.

Hoverdesk v. 2.50

A very nice replacement for the standard Windows Desktop. What sets Hoverdesk apart from other similar programs is the grouping of all windows of one application on the taskbar (a la Windows XP) and a well-implemented menu. The user has a convenient, easily customizable interface, a system resource monitor with a built-in RAM optimizer, which by the way is very effective, as well as a virtual desktop manager. The latter seems to have become a kind of “calling card” of most alternative shells. The program's context menu deserves special praise, providing access not only to the Main Menu folders, but also to any file or directory on the computer's logical or removable drives. Moreover, unlike the Windows menu, in Hoverdesk a submenu or the contents of a folder “falls out” only after a mouse click on the corresponding menu item. This may take a little more time, but it guarantees the absence of annoying “collapses” of the entire “multi-story structure” at the most inopportune moment. Of course, there is also a change of skins, and detailed customization of each interface element (choice of font, textures, buttons, etc.) along with support for the Cyrillic alphabet. True, in some unofficial themes there may be errors when displaying Cyrillic characters, but this is not so bad. By the way, although the authors of the program primarily position it as an “add-on” to Windows, it is quite possible to work with it as an independent shell. To do this, you will need to load any shell manager (for example, ShellOn, www.dx13.co.uk/shellon/index.html).

Winstep

Winstep, like Hoverdesk, is a kind of “add-on” to Windows Desktop, successfully complementing its functions. The program consists of three modules: NextStart, WorkShelf and Font Browser. As with Object Desktop, each of them can be downloaded and purchased separately, but in order to take full advantage of the program's capabilities, it is advisable to use them together. WorkShelf is a replacement for the taskbar, quick launch and systray. It consists of 6 departments: Main (the actual program settings and Basket), Desktop (contains all application shortcuts from the Desktop), Control Panel, Quick Launch and Tasks. Basket and watches are presented in the form of separate modules with the ability to flexibly customize their appearance.

NextStart, in turn, “complements” the Main Menu and Taskbar, making working with them even more convenient. As in Hoverdesk, here you can quickly get to the desired file or folder on the media directly from the Main Menu. Font Browser is a convenient utility for viewing fonts installed on the system and is not directly related to the two components described above. Both NextStart and WorkShelf are extremely flexible in configuration, which makes it possible to adapt them to any tastes and desires of users. Unfortunately, all this is broken by the complete lack of support for the Cyrillic alphabet and the rather high price of the program, which does not allow us to recommend it to everyone.

Aston v. 1.8.2 Aston v. 1.8.2 Developer Gladiators Software Website www.astonshell.com/ rus/index.html Upload File Size 1.57 MB URL www.astonshell.com/ rus/files/aston.zip + Spectacular appearance; nice interface; convenient visual configuration of each program element - Shareware distribution ! One of the best alternative skins A very successful development by Russian craftsmen. Most of all, Aston captivates with its spectacular appearance and a huge number of various themes and skins (for more details, see www.astonshel. com/themes/), which, together with the possibility of detailed customization of each element, allow you to adjust this graphical shell to any tastes and needs of the user. The program contains the main elements of Windows Desktop - Desktop, taskbar, systray, Main menu - which makes the transition from Explorer to Aston completely painless. The built-in Shell Swapper allows you to quickly switch between them. But the main highlight of Aston is the convenient visual configuration of each of its elements, which does not require studying the structure and commands of configuration files. It is worth mentioning the easily customizable toolbars(multi-level panels with buttons) of any size, designed to quickly launch your favorite applications. And of course, one cannot help but note the modest resource intensity of this shell combined with high stability, which is a very rare case today. The program leaves a very pleasant impression and rightfully deserves the title of one of the best shells for Windows. It’s just a pity that the 30-day trial period is too short...

Talisman Desktop v. 2.6 build 2601

Another successful development by programmers from the ex-USSR. The program can work in four modes: a regular application (i.e., like all other programs in Windows), an application without the Windows taskbar, a panel on the Desktop, and the shell itself. Moreover, switching between them, as well as changing themes, is carried out literally in one touch, which is very convenient. The thoughtful interface of Talisman also deserves praise: all Desktop shortcuts are located in a reduced form on the right side of the Desktop Panel, and on the left side of the corresponding panel are the most popular “office” applications. The same can be said about the context menu and the taskbar, where, among other things, the media player control buttons are located. Well, Talisman Object Editor allows you to create, modify and delete any theme components. Using the built-in editor, you can also write scripts for the program to execute a series of commands, which significantly expands its capabilities. Another advantage of Talisman is the use of any pictures instead of standard icons, as well as 32-bit Windows XP icons ranging in size from 16 16 to 128 128 pixels. Needless to say, how pleasantly the updated Desktop will surprise you after this.

In short, the program is undoubtedly a success and, along with Aston and LiteStep, is the best choice among alternative Windows shells. True, for former fellow citizens the developers could reduce the price...