Draft:Activity Centers

Activity Centers, also known as Start Page are a canceled user interface concept that originated during the planning of Windows Neptune and was also included in certain builds of Windows Me and Windows XP. Unlike the traditional Windows desktop, which primarily focuses on applications, Activity Centers are a task-based user interface that features several so-called Centers, each for a separate activity, which grouped the most common tasks together.

The project was ultimately canceled together with Windows Neptune in late 1999, as Microsoft executives feared that it would be a way too drastic change to new features inspired by the Activity Centers' focus on tasks rather than programs, such as the improved Explorer and Start menu in Windows XP. Furthermore, the Metro interface introduced in Windows 8 also shares many of the same ideals with Activity Centers.

Mars
The core component of Activity Centers is Mars, a framework that allowed applications to combine web content with a backend using the native Windows API. It is ultimately the only part survive the cancelation of Activity Centers, as it was also used for System Restore and Help and Support Center in both Windows Me and later Windows XP.