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fabric (Desktop Widgets System) VS ShellNewHandler

Compare fabric (Desktop Widgets System) VS ShellNewHandler and see what are their differences

fDW
fabric (Desktop Widgets System)

Next-Gen Desktop Widgets Framework for Python 🍚🐍

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Rating
0 reviews
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Alternatives Is it good?
ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

Rating
0 reviews
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Alternatives Is it good?
AxCrypt
AxCrypt is a powerful, easy-to-use encryption tool that protects your files, passwords, and personal information with strong AES-256 security. Available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, it keeps your data safe wherever you go. sponsored

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, ShellNewHandler seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 2 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 2
App Launcher popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

fDW
fabric (Desktop Widgets System)
ShellNewHandler
Website wiki.ffpy.org sourceforge.net
Listed in
Productivity App Launcher Note Taking Monitoring Tools +1
Cloud Storage Monitoring Tools File Sharing Website Monitoring +1

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

fDW
fabric (Desktop Widgets System) 4 features
ShellNewHandler 0 features
  • Customizability
    Fabric allows users to tailor widgets to their specific needs, offering a high degree of personalization.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The system provides an intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to create and manage widgets without requiring extensive technical knowledge.
  • Integration
    Fabric supports seamless integration with various applications and services, enhancing overall productivity by providing quick access to essential tools.
  • Resource Efficiency
    Widgets created with Fabric are designed to be lightweight, ensuring they do not consume excessive system resources and maintain optimal system performance.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Platform Support
    Currently, Fabric may only be available on limited platforms, reducing its accessibility for some users.
  • Learning Curve
    While the interface is user-friendly, new users may still experience a learning curve before fully utilizing all features effectively.
  • Compatibility Issues
    There could be occasional compatibility issues with certain third-party applications or updates, which may require troubleshooting.
  • Lack of Advanced Features
    For users seeking more complex functionality or advanced features, Fabric might not offer the depth needed for highly specialized tasks.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

fDW
fabric (Desktop Widgets System)
ShellNewHandler

Overall verdict

  • Fabric is a solid, flexible Python framework for building desktop widgets and custom shell components on Linux (particularly Wayland and X11), offering strong customization through GTK and CSS-like styling, making it a good choice for users who want to craft their own desktop experience.

Why this product is good

  • Highly customizable widget system that lets you build bars, panels, and desktop elements tailored to your needs
  • Python-based, making it accessible for developers familiar with scripting and rapid prototyping
  • Supports styling similar to CSS, giving fine-grained control over appearance
  • Integrates well with Linux desktop environments and compositors
  • Active development and community documentation available through the wiki

Recommended for

  • Linux power users and tinkerers who enjoy customizing their desktop
  • Developers comfortable with Python who want to build bespoke widgets
  • Users of tiling window managers or minimal setups seeking custom status bars and panels
  • People migrating from tools like EWW, Waybar, or AGS looking for a scriptable alternative

Overall verdict

  • ShellNewHandler is a niche, lightweight utility hosted on SourceForge designed to give users more control over the Windows 'New' context menu (the ShellNew menu). It can be considered good for its specific narrow use case, but it is an older, minimally maintained tool that may not suit all users, especially those on modern Windows versions.

Why this product is good

  • Provides direct control over customizing the Windows right-click 'New' menu, allowing users to add or remove file type entries
  • Lightweight and free, without bundled bloatware typical of some other free utilities
  • Simple and focused in scope, making it easy to understand for its specific purpose
  • Open distribution via SourceForge allows transparency and no-cost access

Recommended for

  • Power users who want to declutter or customize the Windows New context menu
  • IT administrators managing standardized desktop environments across multiple machines
  • Users comfortable with older utility-style tools and Windows registry-related tweaks
  • Not recommended for casual users seeking modern, actively supported software with regular updates

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
fDW
fabric (Desktop Widgets System)
ShellNewHandler
100% 100%
App Launcher
0% 0%
59% 59%
Monitoring Tools
41% 41%
100% 100%
Productivity
0% 0%
0% 0%
Website Monitoring
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using fabric (Desktop Widgets System) and ShellNewHandler. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

fDW
fabric (Desktop Widgets System) 0 mentions
ShellNewHandler 2 mentions

Tracking fabric (Desktop Widgets System) since Feb 2026.

  • I recently got libreoffice, but now the new option in right click looks like a mess. Can someone help me get rid of them please?
    Use Shell New Handler. Run the portable app and simply untick the items you don't want to appear in your new context menu. Source: about 4 years ago
  • This menu should be easy to add/remove programs to... Who is really creating Access Databases from this menu often enough to keep it here? (Not me!) Is there an easy way to edit this?
    I've always used ShellNewHandler for this. It's a really simple portable utility that allows you to remove most of the items from that menu. Tested it out on Windows 11 and it's still compatible. Source: over 5 years ago

Alternatives to fabric (Desktop Widgets System) and ShellNewHandler

When comparing fabric (Desktop Widgets System) and ShellNewHandler, you can also consider the following products.

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