Emerge Desktop is really a alternative windows “shell” (the desktop environment usually supplied by Windows Explorer) for Windows 2000 and over. In order to replace Windows Explorer as a shell, it provides a system tray (the area that gathers the icons gathered in the lower right corner in Explorer), called emergeTray. It will also supply access to the users applications (normally accessed with the windows “start” button) using a right-click on the desktop, via emergeCore.

Emerge Desktop is integrated with MinGW (MinGW-w64 for your 64-bit version), an OpenSource implementation from the GNU C compiler and utilities. Up to this point, closed source commercial projects have mainly been used (Microsoft Visual C++, Borland Delphi) to build up alternate shells as they use proprietary Microsoft API features. With Microsoft releasing more detailed information about these API calls, the MinGW win32api is now quite complete. Additionally, several web sites on the internet have started to include documentation and code that illustrate how to access and use these functions

Emerge Desktop features

# Simple – You don’t have to become a programmer and write complex scripts to attain what you want; nor become a desktop architect and write pages of configuration with complex coordinate positioning of your elements
# Flexible – You can use as much, or as little, of it as you want in order to achieve your ends … or even replace the standard Windows shell entirely!
# Configurable – You can hide, or show, as many of the elements as you like. The width of the bevel, border and icon size/padding and, also, the colours and gradient type for many of the elements’ background and fonts can be individually configured. Elements can be positioned where you like, moved, shown/hidden and support click through, transparancy/opacity, and drop-shadows
# Modular – You can add … or even create … your own elements
# Compatible – You can use it alongside other theming tools, application launchers or even other desktop managers / shells!
# Community Supported – There is a thriving and … above all … friendly and helpful community, as can be seen on the forums. People are not simply willing, but eager to help and support you, no matter how complex, or simple your question, request or suggestion may be. Involvement is encouraged and appreciated, from novices to experts and there is always a friendly welcome – We’re pleased to see you

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