Microsoft is trying and trying to improve their desktop environment. Luna, then Aero, then Metro. Of course, those are kind of different desktop environments, but essentially they are all the same. And most of the users are tired of that. Recently I switched to Linux (Ubuntu) because I was so sick of all the same style all the time. Well, the problem was that I am an 3D artist and because of that I am software dependent. To get programs working on Linux is a huge pain because Linux has poor support regarding all the most used programs. Even though I managed to install Maya on Ubuntu it was kind of pointless because there was no proper drivers for my graphics card for Ubuntu and card was not functioning as it should. I tried AMD website and downloaded drivers that actually made Ubuntu to crash. After I restarted computer the OS failed to boot. Well actually it booted normally, but the OS could not load because drivers screwed up everything. So I had to switch back to windows again and that is really sad. I love Linux so much, especially when I found out about Elementary OS Freya. It is just simply gorgeous. Actually Freya is Ubuntu 14.04 with custom Desktop Environment which is called Pantheon (Default Ubuntu Desktop Environment is Unity). So I thought that windows should have something like that also. I found a list of custom Desktop Environments for Windows and was really disappointed. All of them looked awful. There is KDE 5 Plasma desktop environment which looks good. But latest version for windows is KDE 4 Plasma which looks awful as well. Then I found LiteStep which looked bad, but then I found out that it has a lot of themes. And some of those themes are really impressive and takes huge control over the overall looks which is one step towards a right direction, but is still not enough.

So the way I see it. Windows is stable operating system with huge support of applications that many users need and is one of the main factors that makes people to use Windows. But a huge part of users would gladly switch to Linux if not the software they are tied to. So most of the users is using Windows because they have to, not because they really enjoying it. So why not making this experience a good experience for users. Of course, many could say that you can change the themes on Windows etc. but it is not the same and actually all the themes just looks awful and makes things even worse.

Microsoft Garage team have done some impressive projects proving that they can change people lives and make everything more fun. I remember when Tetra Lockscreen was released for Windows Phone. At first I thought that it was some kind of joke, because Windows Phone was no fun at all and the functionality that Tetra Lockscreen had sounded like Sci-Fi for Windows Phone. I was amazed by that work, so I started to look for developers of that lockscreen and it turned out that it was Microsoft Garage.

I believe, that Microsoft Garage could create an awesome custom Desktop Environment for Windows. Just look at the examples of Ubuntu 14.04 and Freya OS. Freya OS is actually Ubuntu 14.04, but it has different Desktop Environment, different file manager etc. Why can not Windows have something like that? The design of Pantheon (Freya OS DE) is really simple, minimalistic and gorgeous in that way. I would die to get that kind of desktop environment on Windows. And that is not just me. There is a lot of people that wants to have something different than all the same Windows DE. And that is one of the strong sides of Linux. Let say you have Ubuntu, you don't even have to reinstall your OS to get look of the Freya OS. You can just install Pantheon DE and there you go. All the different look.

You don't need to throw this idea away directly, just see what people think. Maybe creating a kickstarted project would be a great idea. Just make a concept of some nice DE for windows, that looks way different that Windows DE. Different style, different interaction, custom file explorer instead of Windows file explorer. Just something nice, clean and minimalistic and see what people thing. I am most certain that there would be a lot of people that could back this project up and it would be win win situation. Because you would get strong proof that people actually wants it and you would get money for this project. And looking at your previous projects this could be an easy task for you.

I hope you would at least consider this idea and I would love to see an custom DE for Windows from Microsoft Garage.

Hi, I really like the design and interface of the next lockscreen. It's very simple, but elegant and sophisticated to look at especially when you partner it with your custom wallpapers which are superb. I hope that you continue your fluid releases and be consistent with the design and stability. To be honest, I really wanted to keep the app on my phone, but I'm really scared since my phone is new and I didn't want to many 3rd party apps like the lock screen on it since I've had past issues with third party apps. I think that it would be better to integrate this kind of lock screen for the next OS release so you can focus more on the development with less a less buggy system, since I've also had some issues regarding the lockscreen since there was an instance where the net lock screen and my OS's lock screen were both working. Lollipop was a huge design fail for me, and I think that it looked childish. i prefer a more sophisticated and minimalist look. although it is fast in my phone.