[KrossX]

Cairo - Windows Shell Alternative (Open Source)

What is Cairo?

Cairo is a desktop environment for Windows. Currently in the alpha stages, our goal is to develop a desktop experience that increases productivity and advances current technology standards. With a focus on stability, performance, and productivity, Cairo aims to deliver an interface that exceeds expectations and delivers superior ease of use.

What is a Windows shell?

Cairo is a Windows shell. A shell is an environment for your computer that allows you to browse files, launch applications, and interact with your computer. The current Windows shell is the 'Start' menu, the taskbar, and if you have Windows Vista, the translucent window borders.

What operating system(s) are supported?

Cairo will fully support Microsoft Windows 7 and Microsoft Windows Vista at the time of release. Support for Windows XP will not begin until the 7 and Vista versions are complete and relatively bug free. The rationale behind this decision is due in part that 7 is a newer operating system and is the environment of choice for future software development and compatibility.

Will Cairo be free?

Cairo will be freeware, which means we will not require a fee for using our software. However, Cairo is closed source and not available for duplication.

How can I donate to Cairo?

As a freeware project, users who would like to support Cairo may do so by donating any monetary amount. All donations are greatly appreciated and help us keep Cairo a free project and negate our expenses. You may click here to donate.

What are the system requirements?

Cairo is being built with performance and stability in mind. The recommended system requirements have not yet been determined. Nevertheless, if you can run Windows XP or Windows Vista well, Cairo will most likely run smoothly.

[...]

Official Page

Something I just remembered after seeing the "Cabrio Front End" news. I remember cheking this when I was testing the Aston Shell, but it was all on private testings.

Anyhow, the Public Alpha seems ready to be tried. Thus, if someone is willing to check it out and tell, that would be nice. =P

 

[KrossX]

Element Software and Cairoshell

Since Cairoshell was declared open source on 13 Jan 2010, Element Software has been hard at work developing Cairoshell further and implementing features that were previewed in the early Cairoshell concepts.

We have therefore opened up a public source repository and regular, public builds with newer features are now available to all users.

You can download the Element Software builds of Cairoshell here.

Source

#LINKS:
New official site
Code repository

 

[SCHUMI_4EVER]

Looks like someone is trying to Linuxfy Windows....

 

[nanaya]

Seeing their faq claim this will not replace or damage system file, I'll give this a try, thanks!

Edit: Allright, it badly messed my taskbar, have to logoff and login to restore it... Guess I'll stick with devianart theme and fences, will keep an eye for the beta or final though.

 

[Spyhop]

That looks vastly inferior to what Windows already offers. Why would anyone want to use it?

 

[nanaya]

Curiosity?

 

[-StrikE-]

That looks vastly inferior to what Windows already offers. Why would anyone want to use it?

For the first time we agree when it comes to Desktop and...

Looks like someone is trying to Linuxfy Windows....

Indeed

I prefer to stay away from shell alternatives/replacers there usually bloat and somethings always wrong along the way, don't fixed it if it ain't broken i'd say.

 

[gamefreak94]

Just looks like Linux to me. Apart from the multi-desktop feature I don't really see how this is superior to the default Windows Shell.

 

[P_RePTiLe]

Uhm.. like gnu/linux is just an empty shell consisting soley of a graphical desktop? pft
There is no "linux look" to be honest, everything from fluxbox, to kde, to gnome, to pekvm, to just running a sole x-app on the xorg-client, to having no X (gui) at all, to have any of the mentioned desktop enviroments or any of the hundreds of others - but configured to look radically different, and so forth.
You get the idea (hopefully)

Gnu/Linux is an os in combination, and the gui part is just an application running in xorg

 

[-StrikE-]

^Thanks for sharing but the majority who posted here (can vouch for GF and myself at least) saying about linux similarity's know that. Its just that interfaces like KDE & GNOME for example have become sort of an image for linux environment, (don't get me wrong i'm not bashing your post since there many that just prefer to read a thread and not participate its good for informational value, but i also wanted to straitened out some of the posts ).

 

[gamefreak94]

Besides the taskbar being at the top by default and the layout of pull-down menus being almost identical to the ones in GNOME. And the multi-desktop feature looks like Compiz.

I may be judging it too superficially, but by the looks of the screenies that's what it looks like.

 

[nanaya]

And what's the status of KDE 4 windows port? :innocent:

 

[P_RePTiLe]

Besides the taskbar being at the top by default and the layout of pull-down menus being almost identical to the ones in GNOME. And the multi-desktop feature looks like Compiz.

I may be judging it too superficially, but by the looks of the screenies that's what it looks like.

and then gnome looks like osx, and so forth.
But gnome is not linux, it's an desktop environment program. So yes, it looks like gnome, it not not "linux'ifying", or linux-looking

and yeah, strikes explanation was alright.

I have used aston on windows before aswell, and this looks alright - though not as innovative as it sounds, and most "features" are easily provided in many different ways even for windows already

 

[-StrikE-]

And what's the status of KDE 4 windows port? :innocent:

You kind of have that with windows 7 (at least the taskbar)... first thing i thought when i saw 7's interface was that they "borrowed" a little from KDE :lol:.

 

[gamefreak94]

and then gnome looks like osx, and so forth.
But gnome is not linux, it's an desktop environment program. So yes, it looks like gnome, it not not "linux'ifying", or linux-looking

and yeah, strikes explanation was alright.

Yeah, while technically it may not be integrated into the Linux OS itself, it, along with KDE and to some extent Xfce, have become the visual identity of Linux.

 

[Purkinje]

This looks interesting as a WindowsShell alternative. If anything, this competition is a good thing. They got complacent with Internet Explorer, and look what happened when a much better browser like Firefox came into the forefront.

And remember, this isn't the final release, and more features will be added as the project picks up steam.

 

[P_RePTiLe]

Yeah, while technically it may not be integrated into the Linux OS itself, it, along with KDE and to some extent Xfce, have become the visual identity of Linux.

That would mostly be because people go around thinking:

"linux = ubuntu", due to it's damned popularity.

The "face" of linux would be a kernel

But yeah, i'll stop "semi-off-topicing" just to be a picky old lizard

 

[SCHUMI_4EVER]

the face of linux is either ubuntu or a simple command prompt with no GUI at all..., that's why this app looks like it's trying to linuxfy Windows.

 

[-StrikE-]

That would mostly be because people go around thinking:

"linux = ubuntu", due to it's damned popularity.

The "face" of linux would be a kernel

But yeah, i'll stop "semi-off-topicing" just to be a picky old lizard

I'm sorry but ubuntu has nothing to do with it, KDE, GNOME, seted sort of a "standard" for linux before ubuntu came into play (what i mean by this is that they where widely used). Again, i'm not saying your wrong, not at all, but like it or not thanks to there popularity they do set part of the image as for what linux has to offer .

 

[gamefreak94]

The "face" of linux would be a kernel

Question 10 people about what "kernel" is 9 of them are bound to say "What? Which army colonel?"