This is a list of
software that provides an alternative
graphical user interface for
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
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
Windows 3.1 is a major release of Microsoft Windows. It was released to manufacturing on April 6, 1992, as a successor to Windows 3.0.
Like its predecessors, the Windows 3.1 series ran as a shell on top of MS-DOS. Codenamed Janus, Windows 3. ...
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.
See also
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Comparison of Start menu replacements for Windows 8
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Comparison of X Window System desktop environments
A desktop environment is a collection of software designed to give functionality and a certain look and feel to an operating system.
This article applies to operating systems which are capable of running the X Window System, mostly Unix and Unix- ...
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Desktop environment
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History of the graphical user interface
The history of the graphical user interface, understood as the use of graphic icon (computing), icons and a pointing device to control a computer, covers a five-decade span of incremental refinements, built on some constant core principles. Se ...
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Microsoft Bob
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Removal of Internet Explorer
The idea of the removal of Internet Explorer (IE) from Windows was proposed during the ''United States v. Microsoft Corp. (2001), United States v. Microsoft Corp.'' case. Later, security advocates took up the idea as a way to protect Windows syst ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Alternative shells for Windows
Desktop shell replacement
Windows-only software
Computing-related lists