Developer(s) Calmira.net Type Shell | Operating system | |
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Stable release v3.31 / March 31, 2008; 8 years ago (2008-03-31) Repository www.calmira.de/downloads/ License GNU General Public License | ||
Calmira is an alternate shell available for Windows 3.1x and up that has an appearance resembling Windows 95. A version named Calmira Longhorn is not compatible with Windows Vista, but emulates some of the visual features of that operating system.
Contents
The shell is more than a simple cosmetic upgrade, however. Much of the functionality of later 32-bit shells has been incorporated into the Calmira software. The shell has a start menu, a task bar and a desktop that all function in a similar manner to those found in the Explorer Desktop of later 32-bit Windows operating systems.
Development
The Calmira shell was developed on Borland Delphi 1.0, an Object Pascal based programming environment by Borland. Because the Windows 3.x environment is virtually extinct as of 2009, additions of new features and addons to Calmira are few and far between.
Source code
The source code for the Calmira shell is publicly available under GNU GPL license, thus allowing software developers to participate in the project. However, as the Calmira shell was initially developed on the 16-bit Delphi 1.0 programming environment, active contributors are more or less restricted to developing the shell on that platform. An attempt to port parts of Calmira to Windows NT 3.51 has been made, and the project has resulted in NT Shell.
Modified versions
Being open source, some people developed their own version of Calmira, adding other features and customizations. Here is a list of the most used ones:
Other versions and the original one can be found at Calmira Online.