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 Post Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2017 2:54 pm 
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Another sad result of the direction Microsoft are heading in, I'm not so sure Microsoft are aware that their new Windows model would result in things like this but if they were they're doing a damn fine job at it. :(

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Sad news, everyone.

After months of deliberation, I have decided to stop the development of Classic Shell.

It was a great adventure for me that lasted 8 fun and exciting years. It started back in 2009 as a simple weekend project and over time grew to be a hugely popular software brand with many millions of downloads. It was in large part due to all of you, the active Classic Shell community, that reported issues, suggested features, provided translations, developed new skins and participated in forum discussions. My thanks go to you for your continued support and encouragement.

And of course, special thanks to Gaurav Kale, who stuck with me from the early days to the end. His passion for all things Windows was instrumental to the Classic Shell success.

There were few factors that led to my decision:
1) Lack of free time. I have other hobbies that demand my time, some related to software and some not. It requires a lot of effort to add new major features to Classic Shell and keep it relevant. Even keeping it running on newer version of Windows is a lot of work. That leads me to point #2

2) Windows 10 is being updated way too frequently (twice a year) and each new version changes something that breaks Classic Shell. And

3) Each new version of Windows moves further away from the classic Win32 programming model, which allowed room for a lot of tinkering. The new ways things are done make it very difficult to achieve the same customizations

So, moving forward, I am making the latest version of Classic Shell open-source and adding it back to SourceForge (https://sourceforge.net/projects/classicshell/), where it all began. I encourage other people to fork it and go with it.
I will keep the MediaFire download mirror for another 6 months. The forum on http://www.classicshell.net/forum/ will stay open until the end of 2018, however I will not frequently participate in the discussions.

Update: The source code can be also found on GitHub here: https://github.com/coddec/Classic-Shell
Source: http://www.classicshell.net/forum/viewt ... f=4&t=8147
cf. http://www.classicshell.net/


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 Post Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 8:16 am 
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I have to confess my ignorance here, what is Classic Shell?
Thanks, Acadia

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 Post Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:05 am 
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I was also unfamiliar Acadia. Here is a quote from the site.

Classic Shell wrote:
Classic Shell™ is free software that improves your productivity, enhances the usability of Windows and empowers you to use the computer the way you like it. The main features are:
• Highly customizable start menu with multiple styles and skins
• Quick access to recent, frequently-used, or pinned programs
• Find programs, settings, files and documents
• Start button for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
• Toolbar and status bar for Windows Explorer
• Caption and status bar for Internet Explorer

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 Post Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:44 am 
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jaylach wrote:
I was also unfamiliar ...

Ok, looks like it is one of the programs that tries to keep Windows familiar to folks updating to newer Windows. I can understand why a developer would quit at this point, no comment on why I think this. On the other hand, maybe time we "captured" folk hunker down and learn a new Windows? Don't know, would you believe that I am still VERY SERIOUSLY considering an iMac. But Windows definitely has its advantages, the main one among many others, is that I am familiar with it and maybe too lazy to learn an entire new universe of computing.
Acadia

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 Post Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2017 12:42 pm 
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Appearance is a part it would seem but there is also added functionality to File Manager/Windows Explorer.

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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 2:37 pm 
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jaylach wrote:
Appearance is a part it would seem but there is also added functionality to File Manager/Windows Explorer.

I'm surprised neither you or Acadia had heard of this software... Jay, it's very similar to the customising software you were talking about a few weeks ago just not as feature rich as yours... annoyingly i can't remember the name of the software you use so I'm going to have to back-trail your posts, damn, i hate looking for a needle in a forum haystack! lol

Fyi, Acadia was probably closest about the purpose of Classic Shell, it's initial purpose was to give the end user a simple GUI interface to restore functions and/or options that Microsoft saw fit to hide/remove/not offer in later builds of Windows.

Options or alternate views of Internet Explorer, Start Menu, Windows Explorer etc that were readily available as standalone registry hacks on the web and in Newsgroups etc.

Put another way and as an example, the Win95 Start Menu code was never removed from any of the OS's after 95 through Win7 it was just never offered as an option... some might say it was hidden. [I don't know about Win10]

To have a WinXP Start Menu or indeed a 'Classic' Win95 Start Menu on Win7 you needed to know where to make the changes in the registry, Classic Shell did all that for you with the selection of a button, or buttons depending on how much customisation you wanted on the Start Menu.


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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:02 pm 
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Acadia wrote:
On the other hand, maybe time we "captured" folk hunker down and learn a new Windows?

Who, or what, is a folk hunker?? :rofl2:


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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:05 pm 
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Just to avoid that needle hunt... ;) For automated registry hacks I use WinAero Tweaker.
https://winaero.com/comment.php?comment.news.1836

For most of my appearance mods I use Stardock's Start 10 Dreamscapes, Cursor FX and Shadow FX.
http://stardock.com

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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:07 pm 
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Doddie wrote:
Acadia wrote:
On the other hand, maybe time we "captured" folk hunker down and learn a new Windows?

Who, or what, is a folk hunker?? :rofl2:

Not sure if this is the reference but Hunker Down is a bluegrass/folk band.

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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 3:22 pm 
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jaylach wrote:
Doddie wrote:
Acadia wrote:
On the other hand, maybe time we "captured" folk hunker down and learn a new Windows?

Who, or what, is a folk hunker?? :rofl2:

Not sure if this is the reference but Hunker Down is a bluegrass/folk band.

I'm suspecting there's a comma missing between folk and hunker but that would raise the question about when this new Windows came out? lol... last time i looked MS keep changing names and moving what we know to new locations on different menus and claiming it's new... the last truly new home version of Windows was after Win3(16bit), MS launched Win95(32bit), imho ;)


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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 5:50 pm 
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heh, I should have posted "captured folk" hunker down, etc.

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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 6:02 pm 
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Acadia wrote:
heh, I should have posted "captured folk" hunker down, etc.
And the 'new' Windows? LOL, sorry, i can't resist because there hasn't been a 'new' Windows for a very very long time ;)


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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 6:11 pm 
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jaylach wrote:
Just to avoid that needle hunt... ;) For automated registry hacks I use WinAero Tweaker.
https://winaero.com/comment.php?comment.news.1836


WinAero, that's it, i had a good look at what it was capable of and came to the conclusion it did pretty much everything Classic Shell did, and more.

I still think it's a shame and short-sighted that the likes of Classic shell and MPC-HC are dropping like flies, in the long run the lack of development of 3rd party software that's been around since the cows will only harm Microsoft.... from day one MS has been augmented by 3rd part developers, take that away and we're left with a Dell/HP, or worse an Apple clone.

Thanks for the WinAero link, feeling i'll need that the next time i install Windows.


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 Post Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2017 6:32 pm 
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Just take care on the Winaero site as there are a lot of garbage links.. Be sure to only select those that specifically state Winaero. ;) LOL! Like I really need to give you that warning...

While I never used the Classic Shell I can relate to your third party viewpoint. I will miss Media Player Classic updates. Still we have to remember that, for the vast majority, a computer has become just an appliance like a toaster. Well mayhaps not 'the VAST majority' as there are a lot of gamers... The majority of users would not even know that Media Player Classic even exists.

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