SbieShell vs Starling

SbieShell is a Windows shell program for Sandboxie’s isolated desktops, spanning the desktop, Start menu, taskbar and notification area. The project describes it as based on ROS Explorer and as the shell portion of WinXShell. It is also presented as a free Windows Explorer replacement for Windows PE. Listed features include a Windows-style file explorer with automatic refresh, desktop icons that support drag and drop, and wallpaper support for Windows Vista and later. Customization options cover third-party file explorer integration, Start menu actions, and taskbar color and height. SbieShell supports tray icons for both x86 and x64 software, and the project lists compatibility with the third-party ClassicShell Start menu application. The repository identifies the license as GNU Lesser General Public License version 2.1 (LGPL-2.1). The project welcomes code contributions, feedback, comments and bug reports. Its GitHub repository lists no releases.

Starling is a desktop environment with a 2D workspace and an optional 3D city workspace. Its Linux desktop combines a Wayland compositor, window manager, dock, spaces, and nine first-party apps in a session alongside the existing desktop. It runs native Wayland clients and X11 apps, can launch applications installed on the machine, and includes an App Store for installing more. The supported Linux package target is Ubuntu 26.04 LTS on amd64; the desktop can also run through Ubuntu 26.04 on WSL2. Starling’s Windows shell supports Windows 10 and 11 on x64, and its page says Store apps keep working. The shell, apps, build tools, documentation, and host code are open source under Apache 2.0, and the product is free. The Linux session runs without elevated privileges. Starling labels the desktop an early preview and says users should expect rough edges, missing pieces, and bugs. Its Windows preview installer installs per user without administrator privileges, but is unsigned and prompts SmartScreen on first run.