Hello all,
Do any of you have experience writing a replacement shell? LiteStep
_appears_ to be losing ground, and it does too much anyway. My goal is
to create a custom shell for end users, one that offers only the options
I tell it to offer. It would also have a password-protected way to
launch control panel apps, explorer, etc. for diagnosing and fixing
problems. Most existing shell replacements would defeat the purpose by
exposing the entire start menu, including any shortcuts that return
after an IE update, etc.
Interestingly, winxp embedded is starting to formalize shell replacement
for kiosks, etc. via components. I want to do this on xp sp2 and win2k.
Any ideas?
Reverse engineering LiteStep comes to mind. Some folks have commented
that replacing explorer can "destabilize" a system, especially if it
does not provide certain "shell functions", but they do not offer
specifics, nor have I found any. Dolphin would be the ideal way to
create the shell; Squeak is also a candidate if it turns out to be
easier for whatever reason (ability to rebuild the VM comes to mind).
Any pointers would be appreciated. Long ago I read that any exe can be
a shell. LiteStep gurus specify how to do the shell switch per-user
[1], which I like because it keeps the backup plan of using the
undisturbed MS tools in a pinch. At present, I am looking for specs on
what a shell must do, if anything.
Have a good one,
Bill
[1]
http://www.brembs.net/litestep/win2k.html--
Wilhelm K. Schwab, Ph.D.
[hidden email]
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