Open Shell is a fork of the Classic Shell project for Windows that getting back the classic start menu to modern versions of Microsoft Windows.
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bbLean Alternatives
bbLean is described as 'The lean version of Blackbox for Windows. It tries to keep balance between features and complexity, to give you some efficient means within a compact shell' and is an app in the os & utilities category. There are more than 10 alternatives to bbLean for Windows, Linux, BSD and Wayland. The best bbLean alternative is Open Shell, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like bbLean are Noctalia, Cairo Shell, WindowBlinds and Window Maker.
Alternatives list
41 Open Shell alternatives
38 Noctalia alternativesNoctalia is a beautiful, minimal desktop shell for Wayland built with Quickshell. It’s designed with a “quiet by design” philosophy, providing a complete desktop experience that stays out of your way.
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39 Cairo Shell alternativesCairo is a desktop environment for Windows. Its goal is to develop a desktop experience that increases productivity and advances current technology standards.
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37 WindowBlinds alternativesCustomize Windows 10 and 11 with skins for Start menu and taskbar. Includes SkinStudio for designing skins, offering personalized fonts, and color and transparency adjustments.
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Window Maker has a reputation for being fast, efficient and highly stable. Window Maker has been characterized as reproducing "the elegant look and feel of the NeXTstep GUI" and is noted as "easy to configure and easy to use.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Windows
- Linux
- BSD
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Emerge Desktop is a replacement Windows "shell" (the desktop environment normally provided by Windows Explorer) for Windows 2000 and above. In order to replace Windows Explorer as a shell, it provides a system tray (the area that collects the icons collected at the...
SharpEnviro (or SharpE) is an open source shell replacement system for Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. When using SharpEnviro the default Windows desktop is replaced by a new and more powerful desktop environment.
BB4Win (Blackbox for Windows) is an alternative shell for Microsoft Windows. The program aims to emulate the look and feel of a Linux based desktop. The BB4Win project was discontinued in 2005 but various branches have been built from the source.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Alerts
- Discontinued
Platforms
- Windows
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xoblite is an advanced "extended shell" for Microsoft® Windows® 10/11, part of the Blackbox for Windows family.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Platforms
- Windows
Comments about xoblite as an Alternative to bbLean
- xoblite is Free and Open Source
The SphereXP is a 3D desktop replacement for Microsoft Windows. Taking the known concept of three-dimensional desktops to its own level. It offers a new way to organize objects on the desktop such as icons and applications. It has been tried out by millions worldwide.
Cost / License
- Free
- Proprietary
Alerts
- Discontinued
Platforms
- Windows
25 Talisman Desktop alternativesTalisman Desktop is a configurable Windows shell replacement introduced in 1997 by Lighttek Software. It is available in a number of languages including English, French, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Russian and Italian.
Cost / License
- Paid
- Proprietary
Platforms
- Windows
United States
United Kingdom
Germany
EU
Russia
Works on modern versions of windows, still maintained.