OSSShell - Windows Shell Replacement

A lightweight window manager and taskbar for Windows built with .NET 8 and C#.

Features

• Window Management: Track and manage all open windows
• Taskbar: Display buttons for all open windows with minimize/restore functionality
• System Tray: Basic system tray icon with exit option
• Clock: Date and time display
• Start Button: Launch Windows Start Menu

Building

Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• .NET 8 SDK
• Visual Studio 2022 (recommended)

Build Steps

1. Clone the repository
2. Open OSSShell.sln in Visual Studio
3. Build the solution (Ctrl+Shift+B)
4. Run OSSShell.Host

Usage

1. Run OSSShell.Host.exe
2. The taskbar will appear at the bottom of your primary screen
3. Open applications will automatically appear as buttons on the taskbar
4. Click a button to activate/restore the window
5. Right-click the system tray icon to exit

Architecture

• OSSShell.Interop: Win32 API wrappers
• OSSShell.Core: Core window management logic
• OSSShell.Taskbar: Taskbar UI components
• OSSShell.Host: Main application entry point

Development Status

This is a basic implementation providing:

• Window enumeration and tracking
• Basic taskbar with task buttons
• Window activation/restore
• System tray integration
• Clock display