I've only been using LS since near the beginning of the year. But I had fantasised about creating my own theme for a year or two before that. Explorer lacks basic ergonomics for an interface. I had searched for other shells but Desktop X was all I found. At the beginning of the year one of my favourite PC magazines did a special on alternative shells. LS was the first I tried since the price was right. LS was so perfect I never bothered looking at the others.