The Windows command line tool that can be accessed by typing cmd.exe in the run box has not been changed in a long time. It provides a basic functionality which mostly cannot be altered. It is for instance not possible to pick any other font than the two that can be selected.
Console 2 tries to be a better command line in Windows by migrating the command line into the modern age. It introduces tabbed browsing, transparency, layout changes and several other functions that increase productivity. Most of the new features can be configured in the settings of Console 2.
Tabbed browsing on the other hand is available from the main toolbar. The settings are divided into several categories like tabs, appearance and behavior. A new font – including font size, format, color and smoothing – can be defined in the appearance menu together with transparency settings and features like snapping to desktop edges when the window is moved.
The functionality of Console 2 is exactly the same that the default Windows command line offers which means that the changes are mostly cosmetic changes that do increase productivity. The most important additions in my opinion are the selection of additional fonts, the transparency and the tabbed browsing.
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excellent
as a win/linux user, I always wondered why the windows CLI was so weak and painful to use. This new thing seems quite yummier, though, to be fair, it’s not a hard feat to pull.
I have been using Console 2 for quite sometime. The feature that I like the most about it is that I can easily access cygwin a Unix emulator from it.
i use PowerCmd which is better imo
Depends on user what is better for him.
What kind of features PowerCmd has which makes it better from Console2 ?
Console2 doesn’t work on x64 Windows. Currently maintained by one guy, which is fairly typical of open-source projects, even many with millions of downloads. Development seems stalled. Quick glance at source code shows fairly intricate Win32 app with bunch of hacks to work around edge cases, so steep learning curve to do any work on it.
Neither Console2 or PowerCMD displays “correct” terminal when used with OpenSSH client or plink.exe. Time to start my own tabbed command shell? :(
Powercmd costs money while console2 is free. And it works in x64 systems, I have a windows 7 x64 box and Console2 works like a champ.
Hi,
Can any one suggest how to change the background color and front font color
Thanks,
Srinath.
There are two major problems that bug me:
1. The tab name is controled only by the GUI, and the “title” command doesn’t change the tab name.
2. Opening new tabs is done only by the GUI, and the “start” command opens a new cmd window.
On Vista, when I try to take Console 2 to full screen, it stops short of overlapping where the Vista side bar would be (I’m not running it). Any idea how to get around this?
Thanks,
Edmond
On the beta of Console2 I have, full screen is not an option. Do you know how you enable it?
This may well be a great application, BUT WHERE IS THE DOCUMENTATION? Without it, it’s next to useless.
@hoppo, the “documentation” is found in the “console.chm” file.
>Can any one suggest how to change the background color and front font color
The “Tabs” page of the settings lets you change the background of new tabs
How does transparency increase productivity ??? ;)
How does anything increase productivity?