(Click to Enlarge)
When the first glimpse of the redesigned Microsoft Office 2007 interface hit the web people were worried about how it would affect their productivity. As it turns out almost everyone that I’ve talked with loves the new interface after they were given a few days to adjust.
This has left people yearning for a similar change to Windows, but we’ve yet to see any drastic changes make their way into the widely used operating system. Cairo is an upcoming Windows Shell alternative, which means it will replace things like the Start Menu with its very own implementation. I haven’t gotten my hands on it yet, but a peek of what’s in store is pictured above.
Cairo will include a redesigned Taskbar/Start Menu as well as a file explorer. The whole thing has a Mac-like feel to it, and I think it looks amazing to say the least. The most important thing, however, is whether it increases or decreases productivity given a proper adjustment period.
One thing that’s really interesting is their move away from scrollbars in Explorer. You’ll notice the arrows at the bottom of the Explorer window in the screenshot I posted, and those are used to navigate from one “page” to another of results. Don’t worry, regular scrollbars will still be available.
There is no word on pricing, but I’m guessing the pre-release versions will be free. A lot of work is obviously going into this project, and I expect that there will eventually be a fee associated with it.
Once Cairo is released we’ll update you as to whether the usability lives up to what the concept shows off.
Cairo Shell [via WinBeta]
I find it interesting that they used “Cairo” as the name seeing as that was the code name for a previous version of Windows.
Windows so needs a makeover
How is this different from “Window Blinds” or “Desktop X”. Sounds like just another version of the same. I have found them to all be buggy and add to system instability.
Life without scrollbars could be really hard. And black is not a colour that everyone likes.
I’m so looking forward to Cairo being released. I’ve been following it on the Aqua-soft forums ever since it hit their frontpage!
Not impressed
What kind of violation would that be? The interface resembles a Mac, but is in no way the same. I don’t think they have anything they need to worry about on that front.
It’s not really that different except that the developers just have to focus on making it usable and stable. At this point I don’t think they are focusing on skins or anything.
I’m not really a black kind of person myself, but I think they did a good job with how they designed it.
Private Alpha testing of the Cairo shell is expected to start June 29, with Public Beta testing afterwards.
Come join the growing community that is eagerly awaiting the release of this new shell
Sounds great! I can’t wait to see what it has to offer!
I will put it only for the black theme…. i don’t like white as background (since i use my pc for work and my eyes, sometimes, hurt).
Hope to see it soon.