ConEmu

Description

ConEmu (also known as ConEmu-Maximus5) is an advanced console window (also known as local terminal emulator). You can run in ConEmu two types of applications (1) "console" such as cmd.exe, powershell.exe, Far Manager, bash, etc., and (2) "graphical" (GUI) like Notepad, PuTTY, GVim, mintty and so on.

ConEmu acts as terminal (aka console emulator) for "console" type applications and sort of tabbed environment (holder) for GUI applications. It was primarily developed as a Far Manager (a popular file manager, text editor) companion but now, you can use ConEmu with other console and GUI apps that run on Windows such as PowerShell, bash, PuTTY, Notepad and many others. This is an Open Source project (BSD license) and you can run it on Windows XP or later (32-bit) or Windows Vista or later (64-bit). Although this is an advanced console and not a shell, you can run any shell that you want and it has an extensive list of features. ConEmu is free to download from the developer's downloads page.

ConEmu Features

• the ability to run other GUI apps in tabs.
• DosBox integration (you can use ConEmu to redirect DOS applications to DosBox).
• it has ANSI X3.64 and Xterm 256 colors.
• offers (limited) support for BDF fonts.
• you can customize starting tabs.
• Windows 7 Jump Lists and Progress on Taskbar buttons.
• you can use tabs and panes (splits).
• use different graphic window modes (Quake-style slide down, normal, maximized and full screen).
• use different window fonts: bold, italic, height, width etc.
• support for 24-bit colors, thumbnails and tiles in Far Manager.
• user friendly support for window resizing, text and block selection.
• many others - see the full list of features here.

ConEmu Review

Introduction

If you've never used Windows CMD command prompt and you're not familiar with other utilities such as Far Manager, you won't be able to appreciate this tiny piece of software. Just like someone else said, this is a tool "made for developers by a developer". ConEmu is a Windows console replacement, so if you tried other similar tools such as Take Command (shareware) or Console (I have no idea why most people named it "Console2", as the original name is "Console" and 2 is current version number), ConEmu might be the best alternative.

A short look

There's no need to repeat the features list but if I had to vote for something, I would say "flexibility". Although it's just a wrapper for Windows Command Prompt, it eliminates (a part of) Windows frustration when using the standard Command Prompt. To name just a few of them: running multiple terminals in tabs, excellent status bar, copy paste operation between console windows or run multiple instances, resize main window as much as you can, etc. What I am trying to say is this: after so many versions of Windows, the Command Prompt was still missing features that ConEmu came up with over years of development.

Note: There is also excellent documentation. Just in case you need help, check the Documentation section.

Conclusion

If you use the command line often, then you need this tool. If you're a Linux fan, this utility will make your Windows experience a little bit "comfortable". You can customize this application in many ways: chances are that most of the features that you need are already there (settings area is really overwhelming). You will probably end up making ConEmu your default terminal for Windows. Finally, considering the value it provides for those who really need a true Open Source alternative for the standard Command Prompt, it's worth a try.