VORTEX Shell

A living, intelligent desktop shell for Windows - built with Rust.

Features

• Lightweight: Target <80MB idle RAM (vs 300-600MB competitors)
• Biome System: 5 unique visual themes with smooth transitions
  • AuraFlow - Fluid gradient animations
  • CrystalEdge - Sharp, refractive aesthetics
  • MidnightPulse - Dark mode with ambient glow
  • ForestHaze - Nature-inspired particles
  • ZenStone - Minimal ripple effects
• AI-Ready: Local-first intelligent agents (ONNX integration)
• Modular: Built with Rust for performance and safety

Tech Stack

• Language: Rust
• Platform: Windows API (windows-sys)
• Build: Cargo

Building

# Debug build
cargo build

# Release build
cargo build --release

Running

# Run debug
cargo run

# Run release
cargo run --release

Architecture

src/
├── main.rs         # Entry point
├── core/           # Core shell state and events
├── platform/       # Windows API integration
├── shell/          # Taskbar and window management
├── biomes/         # Visual theme system
├── ai/             # AI agent framework
└── rendering/      # GPU renderer (placeholder)

Roadmap

• Core architecture
• Biome system
• AI framework
• Real window creation (Win32)
• GPU-accelerated rendering
• System tray integration
• ONNX model integration

Comparison

Feature	VORTEX	Seelen UI	Cairo Desktop
Idle RAM (target)	<80MB	300-600MB	150-300MB
AI Agents	Local-first	None	None
Biome System	Dynamic	Static	None
Customization	Theme engine	Heavy	Minimal

License

MIT