Software Alternatives & Startups

OpenAL Soft VS ShellNewHandler

Compare OpenAL Soft VS ShellNewHandler and see what are their differences

OpenAL Soft

OpenAL Soft is an LGPL-licensed, cross-platform, software implementation of the OpenAL 3D audio API.

Rating
0 reviews
ShellNewHandler

SourceForge.net: ShellNewHandler details page

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, OpenAL Soft should be more popular than ShellNewHandler. It has been mentioned 11 times since March 2021.

social mentions
11 vs 2
Game Engine popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

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

OAL
OpenAL Soft
ShellNewHandler
Website openal-soft.org sourceforge.net
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

OAL
OpenAL Soft 5 features
ShellNewHandler 0 features
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    OpenAL Soft is compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, and Linux, allowing for a wide range of application deployments.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, OpenAL Soft allows developers to view and modify the source code, promoting community contributions and transparency.
  • Hardware-Accelerated
    The software can leverage hardware acceleration for sound processing, which can improve performance and reduce CPU load.
  • 3D Audio Support
    OpenAL Soft provides advanced 3D audio capabilities, allowing for immersive sound positioning and panning in applications and games.
  • Customizable
    Users can customize the audio settings and enhance functionalities according to the application’s needs, thanks to the configurability of OpenAL Soft.

Possible disadvantages

  • Complex Setup
    The initial setup and configuration of OpenAL Soft can be complex and time-consuming, especially for users who are not familiar with audio libraries.
  • Limited Documentation
    While OpenAL Soft is widely used, the documentation can be sparse, making it difficult for newcomers to learn or troubleshoot issues.
  • Performance Overhead
    In some cases, using OpenAL Soft can lead to higher performance overhead compared to other, more lightweight audio libraries.
  • Sparse Community Support
    Compared to other popular audio libraries, community support and forums specifically for OpenAL Soft are less active.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some users report issues with compatibility on certain hardware configurations, which can lead to inconsistent audio experiences.

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis

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

OAL
OpenAL Soft
ShellNewHandler

No analysis of OpenAL Soft yet.

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

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

OAL
OpenAL Soft 3 videos + Add
ShellNewHandler 0 videos + Add

F.E.A.R. w/ EAX & 3D spatial sound 🎧 (OpenAL Soft HRTF)

More videos

  • - F.E.A.R DirectSound3D: Creative Alchemy vs OpenAL Soft (Headphone only)
  • - Counter-Strike 1.0 WON w/ 3D spatial sound (OpenAL Soft HRTF audio) 20th Anniversary!

No ShellNewHandler videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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
OAL
OpenAL Soft
ShellNewHandler
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using OpenAL Soft 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.

OAL
OpenAL Soft 11 mentions
ShellNewHandler 2 mentions
  • Audio Library
    OpenAL is probably the best middle ground. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Prey (2017) Director: Using That Name Was A Mistake
    OpenAL Soft - Greatly improves audio. (Enable EAX effects in SS2 settings after this OpenAL Soft is installed). System Shock 2 used hardware accelerated audio effects and those work only if you have sound card that supports them.... Source: about 4 years ago
  • Death lamp worth?
    .MHR cannot be opened without a file viewer (Binary data). Source: over 4 years ago

View more

  • 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 OpenAL Soft and ShellNewHandler

When comparing OpenAL Soft and ShellNewHandler, you can also consider the following products.