Geoshell
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GeoShell (also: Geoshell, geOShell, etc.) is a replacement shell for Microsoft Windows intended to replace the default Explorer interface. It features geoBars that can be drag-and-dropped anywhere. GeoShell could be interacted also by desktop menus that can be triggered whenever a user clicks anywhere on the desktop, and global keyboard shortcuts. It also has plugins that other developers make to add functionality, and skins to change the appearance. Most settings are configured by directly editing the Windows registry, although more recent versions of GeoShell have a configuration utility, GeoConfig, which can aid users in configuring GeoShell without manually editing registry entries.
Geo_config.png
GeoShell competes with other software, mainly LiteStep, in the explorer shell replacement genre.
History
The original code was released under the GPL by author Geoffrey Elliott ("geO"), circa 2000. It competed in the explorer shell replacement market, which was mainly dominated by LiteStep. GeoShell uses Windows registry instead of plaintext files for its settings, works without a skin, and visible objects can be re-located by drag-and-drop. GeoShell was originally advertised as a minimalist shell replacement due to its simpler configuration, and resources usage.
With the 4.x series, Geoshell began to support more graphical effects including skinning and alpha transparency for Windows 2000 and XP.
WinShellEx
WinShellEx is a component of GeoShell that was introduced in the 4.11.10 Beta, which functions to monitor shell activities. Primarily, and most noticeably to the user, WinShellEx restarts the shell if it has been unexpectedly stopped for whatever reason. More distinctly, however, WinShellEx provides that GeoShell cannot be run over Explorer--basically meaning only one shell will run at any one time. WinShellEx also provides system tray services to GeoShell, fixing bugs that existed with the system tray icons/plugin of previous versions. WinShellEx was also developed with the hope that other shells would use it for the above purposes.
External links
- GeoShell's Documentation Wiki (http://docs.geoshell.org:8080/confluence/display/R4/)