Emerge Desktop

Emerge Desktop is a shell replacement designed to change the way you interact with your Windows desktop. The main goal of the application is to provide you with an alternative method to access your documents and applications.

The installation is fairly simple and requires a reboot in order to apply the new taskbar and Start menu. After the restart you can notice that the Windows Start menu is replaced with a smaller version that provides access to multiple menus.

You can access the same menu by simply right-clicking anywhere on the desktop. The default menu allows you to access the desktop, quick launch and the list of installed programs but can also be customized by adding your executable or commands.

Unfortunately, the customizable menu does not include the quick search feature that is present on Windows Vista and 7. The desktop items are no longer visible which means you can work without any distractions but the only way to access the saved documents is the Desktop section of the context menu.

The system tray is available and displays all the icons of the applications that run in background. A customizable part of the taskbar is the clock area that has an additional feature: you can quickly execute a command by typing it after clicking the clock.

Although the program does not intend to change the file browser interface, it provides you with a highly customizable menu that can be adapted to your daily activity. Moreover, the developers can use the available API to create new applets that can enhance its usage.

The standard installation features multiple applets that can can be configured individually by using the Control - right-click combination on the displayed items. The configuration method and the available options are described in detail in the included documentation.

Overall, Emerge Desktop is a flexible shell replacement that can be used to simplify your activity in the Windows environment.