While we’re waiting for Google to launch its own Google OS (if the rumours are true, of course), I’ve checked out 10 web operating systems and what they can do. Not many of them feel like finished and fully usable products, but there are some true gems among them.
Admit it: you didn’t think there were that many WebOSes around, did you?
Neither did I. You can find month or two old articles on the web which talk about a WebOS as a recently forged concept, yet to be realized. YouOS was practically the only one that had media coverage, so when I began the research for this article, I hoped to find five usable WebOS applications at best.
I was wrong. There are over 10 fully functional WebOS applications out there, and a couple more that are announced or in closed betas.
But what is a WebOS (not to be confused with another definition of the term, see here), or a Webtop, anyway ? Here’s a simple definition: WebOS is a virtual operating system that runs in your web browser. More precisely, it’s a set of applications running in a web browser that together mimic, replace or largely supplement a desktop OS environment. It’s a tough field to start in for a Web 2.0 entrepreneur, because to be successful you need to create several applications that are at least as good as other competitors, and you need to connect them all into a usable bundle. What’s also expected by most users is that all this looks decent, operates similarly to a “real” OS and behaves as a real “OS” would, and is relatively bug-free. Simply put, to gain real everyday users, your WebOS has to be damn good. We’ll see how these newcomers fare in the following months and when (and if) some big giant like Google decides to create their own WebOS.
So, without further ado, let’s see what the 10 WebOS services I’ve gathered here (in alphabetical order) today can offer to the user. Bear in mind that not many of these services are mature enough to receive a proper, thorough review; this is more of a ‘first look’ kind of thing than a full-featured review.
Craythur is a completely new WebOS that puts big emphasis on looks, and it does that part really well, with a well chosen desktop background and transparent window borders similar to those Vista’s Aero. However, the apps themselves are more alpha than beta. For one thing, they’re mostly not translated from Spanish. They work, but nothing more than that; none of them can hold their own against any decent comparative application, web-based or otherwise. Since this is obviously an application at its very early stages, let’s just leave it at good-looking and come back in a few months to see the progress.
If there’s such things as “serious WebOS players”, Desktoptwo is one of them. It’s a Flash based fully featured WebOS which requires registration to try, immediately giving you your own mini-site and your own Desktoptwo email address to use. Desktoptwo is Flash-based, and while I’m not thrilled about Flash Web 2.0 applications, most of the OSes from this list work in Flash, and I must admit that some do it pretty well. Desktoptwo’s apps can be slow, and a certain amount of bugs are present (when i clicked on Message Board preferences, everything got garbled up), but not so much to ruin your experience with the service. One more thing: Desktoptwo opens in a popup, which is sure to annoy some users.
Feature-wise, Desktoptwo delivers and then some. You’ve got search, clock and sysinfo widget, a dock, MP3 player, RSS reader, Instant messenger, OpenOffice, HTML editor, notepad, and several others. Unfortunately, several of these open in popups, which somehow makes you remember you’re in Windows. Furthermore, if you close the Desktoptwo window and log in again, some of your settings are forgotten. However, your content, for example, the files you save to the desktop, or the RSS feeds you add in the very functional RSS reader are remembered over sessions, which is good. Overall, Desktoptwo does many things well, but it needs to iron out a few usability/UI issues to become a really usable WebOS.
Taking a bit of a different approach than other sites in this bunch, EyeOS offers you to download the EyeOS server files and install them on your on web server to use as you please. You can also try out a demo which is hosted on the free public server eyeos.info, which also provides free accounts of eyeOS to everyone who wants to use it without owning a private server. The public server is funded through donations, and there’s still quite a way to go, so if you like EyeOS, go ahead and help them.
EyeOS itself is functional, not too buggy, but a bit slow and a bit bland. You have your standard calendar, calculator, address book, RSS reader, simple word processor, file uploader and a few others, but they have pretty limited functionality, and they all look more like test apps than something you’d really use in day to day work. Furthermore, some of the options simply do not work, for example changing the wallpaper.
Although EyeOS seems to be an ambitious project, it doesn’t offer much more than, for example, Craythur. It looks nice, it works, but its apps aren’t interesting enough to actually use it for any serious work.
This text was actually postponed because Glide registration was closed until 19th of December, and I wanted to squeeze it into this list. And lo and behold; they’ve gotten real serious after the relaunch. So serious that besides free registration, they offer things like family standard and family premium plans (for the last one the fee is $149.95 yearly). For registration. they also require verification via an SMS message. This got me interested, as it is the only WebOS around that thinks of itself highly enough to actually start charging for the service.
And, to some extent, Glide delivers. It’s Flash-based, and it’s not really trying to mimic Windows or any similar desktop environment, choosing a unique GUI of its own instead. It lets you upload and store up to 1 GB of files, read RSS feeds, manage bookmarks, appointments, chat, create documents, view picturess. It’s also designed pretty well - at least at first sight. However, it’s somewhat similar to DesktopTwo in some areas, sharing a number of negative traits with it. First of all, some apps open in a popup, for which I really can’t see a good reason. Furthermore, some of the applications don’t seem to be as polished graphically as the rest of the interface. Some of the apps are just plain buggy - the Calendar simply did not work, reporting an error as soon as I clicked it.
These are mostly minor errors, but they add up. For me, an additional problem was the interface itself which is pretty confusing. It took time figuring out how to do simple tasks like reading RSS feeds, and once I closed certain areas of the Webtop, it was pretty hard to find them again. Like many other services in this list, you can definitely see that a lot of effort has been put into Glide, and some of its parts are done well, however it still has a long way to go (especially if you pay for it).
5. Goowy
Goowy is also Flash-based, but I don’t feel any of the usual negative traits that Flash can bring. It has lots of well-written and usable applications, it’s not lightning fast but it’s not too slow either, and it all works within the same window with the standard desktop-OS-like toolbar. The apps…well, the apps are great. They open in windows you can move around your webtop using a pretty precise grid, which makes organization really easy. You’ve got your standard file-uploader, mail application, RSS reader, instant messenger, bookmarks, calendar and contacts. All of these apps are very well made; for example, the RSS reading functionality is almost as good as in my online reader of choice - Netvibes. I wouldn’t exchange Netvibes for it just yet, but if weren’t able to use Netvibes anymore, Goowy would do just fine. Same goes for other applications, which makes Goowy by far the most usable WebOS in this list.
As far as settings go, you’ve got a lot to choose from. Actually, Goowy is so advanced that I almost feel bad giving it a short rundown instead of a full-featured review it deserves, and I will probably make up for it sometime. Let’s just mention it has a spell checker and a spam filter, which shows the devotion to detail in this product.
Although this text is not a contest, if I had to pick just one WebOS to use, Goowy would be it - and by a big margin. The learning curve is very short; it looks sexy, it has a solid number of well-written applications, and it’s all pretty-much bug free. Great job.
WebOS is a pretty complex application and there’s no two ways about it. So when I see things like “Muly” as one choice for the month of birth or when the “create account” button is missing altogether, I think “sloppy”. And that’s exactly how Orca turned out to be in the end.
I will utter three little words and 70% of readers will skip to the next item in the list: no Firefox support. And they’re right: you simply cannot create an application meant primarily for tech-aware users and not have support for the tech-savvy browser of choice. But even in IE, Orca is simply an unfinished, early alpha, hey-i-can-now-invite-a-few-friends-to-test-this product. Best of luck to the developers, but at this stage Orca is not worth your time.
*Update: one of Orca’s developers (thanks, Nipun) contacted me through comments and we’ve come to the conclusion that my bad experience with Orca was due to some kind of temporary bug. The screenshot that I’ve taken and that you can see here does not represent Orca in the real light. I’ve tried Orca again, and I can confirm that it worked a lot better this time. Here’s a really short recap of my second experience with Orca:
- Orca does indeed feature many applications: Media Player, Zoho Office suite, a web browser, calendar, RSS reader, notepad, file manager and several games. Although still not bug-free, when I’ve tried it the second time all of these applications were fully usable.
- Nipun also pointed out to me that the developers of Orca are preparing a new version which will support browsers other than IE. He also told me about Orczilla, a “linux distribution, which you can boot of the CD (or install) and boot into a browser that opens your Orca Desktop.” This is an interesting concept which can make a WebOS a step closer to real, desktop operating systems.
7. Purefect
Purefect is also at an early stage of development, but it’s at least showing some promise. It tries to mimic the Windows environment completely, down to the icons, which is in my opinion the wrong path to choose. There are just a few apps, like file explorer, memory game and calculator, and as far as settings go you can set the display preferences. It’s functional, but pretty buggy (you can access other users’ files in the file explorer), and there simply isn’t much to do. Like Craythur, it might be interesting to check it out again in a couple of months to see if there’s any progress, but for now it’s just not usable.
SSOE seems to be a project that’s looking far ahead. The author is the first to admit that the kernel of the OS is perhaps 10% written at this point and it gives you a choice of a relatively stable and a newer, unstable version to choose from.
And it’s all true. SSOE looks is more a technology demo than something you would even consider to use, regardless of which version you choose. But even at this early stage of development, I will feel free to give the author a pointer: those huge icons, and badly done brushed metal windows, are ugly. Noone is going to use them if they look like that. Other than that I can’t say much about SSOE because 80% of stuff I’ve tried to click on did not work. Best of luck in the future, next please.
XinDESK is the only one out of the 10 WebOS apps listed here that I didn’t actually try out, because they don’t have a demo or an alpha version yet. However, browsing through the author’s blog one can find some interesting facts about the service. Here’s a couple of quotes:
“The core of Xindesk is a WebOS featuring application that opens and saves the standard office formats. Xindesk is the first web operating system that works easily, even for people without deep computer knowledge. The WebOS is an open platform, just like Windows and Mac OS. This enables anyone to develop new applications.”
“Every Xindesk application you develop can also be installed on all versions of windows.”
All in all, it doesn’t sound too shoddy, and I look forward to checking out this service again when it’s available to the public. You can check out a couple of screenshots over at XinDESK blog.
Before I’ve started writing this piece, the only OS I’ve heard something about in the news was YouOS. And you can see that a fair amount of serious development went into the product, as there are quite a number of useful applications here, including a very good chat client, IM software, file browser, RSS reader and a couple of others. The applications can be moved accross the desktop, look pretty much like standard desktop apps and respond well with some minor issues (for example, the resizing of the RSS reader window did not go too smoothly). You can browse through your open applications using a toolbar similar to the Windows taskbar, which also works as intended.
Unfortunately, YouOS is a bit lacking in the design department. It’s windows and applications are usable, but they’re certainly not beautiful. It does not impede the functionality, but it does somewhat diminish the overall experience.
As far as the general usability applications go, I’d say YouOS takes a second place to Goowy. Its apps are fully functional, but lack a few details, be it in the design or functionality department, that would keep me from using YouOS on a daily basis. However, YouOS is definitely a very serious contender in the WebOS field, and it might turn into a force to be reckoned with.
——-
So, there we go - a short scan of 10 web operating systems shows us that this neck of the woods is promising, but still young and suffering from many a beginner’s disease. I’d say that YouOS, Goowy and DesktopTwo are the names you should watch now and in the near future, while the others *might* turn into promising products, but we’ll have to wait a month or two for that to happen. Also, keep in mind that while it’s relatively easy to judge who has the best functionality, it’s much harder to see who has the best code, or the most solid framework to build upon, so it’s safe to say that we can expect a few surprises to happen here.
*Sites to look out in the future: www.ajax13.com, parakey.com
*Honorable mentions: osx.portraitofakite.com
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Haha - I know what you mean about my operating system! SSOE isn’t exactly the ‘full featured’, ‘complete’, ‘usable’ system I once envisaged.
Hopefully, when I get a holiday, and some time to work on it, this will change! I have been working on various web OSes since early 2003, and while very early in development, I want this one to be my best.
Thanks for the down to earth review. I have been working on a new look/feel, but again, like most things in my life, it is hardly complete.
One thing I don’t understand is why you are so negative about flash. I feel that flash is a powerful tool with a massive capacity, currently only barely exploited. Flash, with its incredible XML integration (I sound like a broken record, here) is really suited to this kind of work.
Again, thanks for the review.
Christopher
@Christopher: I honestly try not to be negative about Flash. I know it’s a very powerful and versatile tool. The problem is, I see same problems on Flash sites over and over again. Every time I can’t copy/paste some text from a Flash website or when back button doesn’t work as expected, I cannot help but think: damn, I wish this site weren’t a Flash site.
However, when it comes to WebOS style applications, it seems that Flash is not a bad choice; in fact, the best sites on the list were done in Flash.
I wish you the best of luck with your development of SSOE.
I don’t personally see the point of the current breed of OS’.
No matter what someone produces they will never be less buggy than our local OS.
Why do you need a “desktop” wherever you are?
Surely if you are not at your desktop PC then you either are on a laptop or have access to the internet.
If you have your laptop then you can do everything more efficiently on it, and if you have access to the internet then you will probably access your webmail to check/send mail, simple as that.
The advantage I can see here is someone like Amazon/Google using their hefty processing power/bandwidth to do the heavy lifting (IE Rendering 3D/Running Programs) with a OS-like front-end.
With this type of model there is a true advantage because the server would do more work than your PC could, other than that WebOS’s are like trying to drive your car with broom handles. Sure, you could do it but it would be alot better to just use the hands you have.
Who cares if it’s beautiful?
Icons should communicate things — reusing icons that people already know is good.
What I care about are: printing, ease and flexibility of sharing of files, and ease of editing the files, and how reliable it is, and so on.
Microsoft Publisher and kwrite are some really important applications. It should be easy to manipulate text and images.
I don’t think video editing is going to be part of the web desktop in the near future… but somebody might figure it out…
And what about games?!
Nice job! I have been playing with Goowy for a while now I am have been pretty impressed with just how much it can do. As something with a lot of flash experience I have to say that I don’t think it’s the best tool for the job, but like you said, Goowy’s designers did OK with it.
In their current state the WebOSs that I have tried are interesting and are definitely getting their, but I could not see myself relying on them for anything important until they bring a lot more in terms of usability, features, stability, and integration.
I really can’t wait until Google does something like this and has a single streamlined integration of Gmail, Reader, Calendar, and Notes (etc). That is going to be much more notable and probably more useful than any of these, at least for the many people who use Gmail/Reader etc
Hey, what about G.ho.st, the Global Hosted Operating SysTem at http://G.ho.st ! Like the others it’s really a Proof-of-concept at the moment but applications and a file system are coming soon!
Zvi
They would have an easier time collaborating in order to provide something better.
Craythur is not nativelly in spanish, it’s portuguese. Nice review.
I really dont think an OS inside the OS is a good idea. Might be harder to exploit such a system, but adds so much more complexities over the old layers of complexities.
>Every time I can’t copy/paste some text from a Flash
>website or when back button doesn’t work as expected,
>I cannot help but think: damn, I wish this site weren’t a Flash site.
And when you can’t do a full text search on a flash site
And when you can’t look at the embedded media(pics, vids)
And when you can’t download the embedded media
And when you can’t remove styling from badly styled pages
And when you can’t print from a flash site
And when you can’t bookmark a flash page
And when you can’t rewrap included text pages into one long page
Yeah, flash (as currently implemented, as a browser extension) sucks.
Nice reviews. Thanks
stumbled upon one website, that you may like - its re web OSs http://osvids.com/
Regards
Paul
The problem as I see it with flash is pretty straightforward.
My interest in a WebOS is primarily for the possibility of being able to use the same desktop from anywhere I’m at (if I have an internet connection of course).
Using flash limits that choice to only OSes which Adobe provides a player for. Their track record has been horrible in the recent past with regards to Linux. Things may change, but the flash route doesn’t give me the desired result I have of being able to access anywhere.
If adobe were to open source their player (no, I’m not asking for their full suite of flash related products, just the player) I would embrace it.
This is a very interesting space. Personally, I am still asking the question “why?”, but am also trying to keep an open mind!
I started checking out a couple of these and began hitting issues right away. DesktopTwo was painfully slow to even display the login page after registering. Then I tried ao access Ajax13 and was informed that it only supports FF 1.5 or greater! Take your comment about the stupidity of Orca not supporting FF and multiply that by 100 to get a comment about Ajax13 not supporting IE. Sure, a lot of tech people might prefer FF, but the majority of the public out there are using IE.
I have only played with the YouOS demo for a few minutes, but I love it! You YouOS looks promising. The iterface is simple and the applications load quiet fast. I’ll go play with Goowy and DesktopTwo soon.
After I play around with the other operating systems, I’ll share some more comments.
Bye
flash is just annoying especially in firefox, the browser stops chewing up all the cpu on a machine (even with dual core) flash is a dying technology! we need to move on! or let adobe do some serious bug fixes!!
Personally, I really appreciate flash. But that’s because I’ve written many Java applets.
I did notice that you tested these Web Os’s on Windows or a Mac. Some sites will not function on anything less than Flash 9 and they are fussy about browsers and versions. This exposes a fundamental problem. The purpose of the Web Os is to provide run-anywhere presentation with apps maintained by centrally located gear-heads.
Users are willing to put up with limited functionality in exchange for wide-range usability. But when it can’t be accessed from a Linux box, or Solaris, your Palm or WinMobile box. Or you have to upgrade the win/mac PC on which you are a guest… that really chops at the heart of the advantage.
Some require ports other than 80 (limiting usefulness when behind a tyrannical firewall — negating another major advantage). These kinds of limitations have oddly allowed virtualization to erode the WebOs possibilities in business — adding further to the hurdles it must overcome.
I’ve been doing professional web development for ~5 years, and I have no problem being negative about Flash.
It’s a propriety product/plugin, and it’s development is completely under the control of a company (Adobe) that exists to make money.
Flash technology exists completely outside the realm of web standards. As such the user experience feels like a browser after thought. It steals focus from the very browser it’s attempting to exist within. And the UNIX based OSes are at the mercy of Adobe’s priority scheduling when it comes to receiving updates to their proprietary Flash plugin.
I don’t think the technology called Flash is completely bad. It’s seems to be a good vehicle for advertisements, and I’ve seen some nice simple games done in Flash. But it is not a web standard, and that alone keeps me from ever recommending it for any piece of a web solution.
Also, all modern day, server-side scripting languages have XML support. Count JavaScript in there too.
I’ll keep my eye on EyeOS as they’re implementing their WebOS using DHTML/AJAX.
Eric
@Jon: “My interest in a WebOS is primarily for the possibility of being able to use the same desktop from anywhere I’m at (if I have an internet connection of course).” - yes, that’s pretty much my idea too. It’s a set of applications that look and act the same and contain the same data regardless of which computer you use. It’s the future of web 2.0 in its purest sense, and we’re bound to see big stuff happening in this field soon, most probably from Google.
The Answer to “Why”:
The reason why most people ask “why” is because they are coming from an environment where their PC/Laptop is their own. They are also coming from the perspective of wanting everything to be “their own” (hardware, software, data, etc).
Take a step back try to see where a web OS would excel:
1. Corporate desktop environment:
One of the biggest issues that Network and System administrators have is keeping a fleet of aging computers up to date. For an individual, it’s not a big deal - $700 for a new desktop buys you so much. But if you have 100, 1000, 10,000 employees, aging hardware is an issue. Compound that with OS’s that mature every 5 years, and productivity suits that mature every 2-3 years. Even if you are not a technology company, you’re spending a ton of dough on technology just to remain current.
Then there is the issue of how do you keep everyone up to date simultaneously. Let’s say that money is no object, so you don’t care that rolling out a Vista upgrade to your 1000 employees is going to cost you $300,000. But going around to every desktop, while trying to preserve desktop setting and critical data that users “forgot” to save to the file server or document management system takes time and training. Multiply the number of hours times the hourly cost of the administrator(s). If your systems guy can load an OS onto 5 machines per hour you’re looking at 200 hours for 1000 machines. At $75/hr (employee’s are costly) that’s another $15,000.
The beauty of the WebOS is that it is upgraded on the server only, and everyone company wide is instantly upgraded. No downloading patches, security fixes, no need to leave firewalls open to “automatic updates”. No time spent on individual computers - just the servers.
2. Neophites:
My brother-in-law is not afraid of computers, nor is especially tech-savvy. He uses them as a tool, and that is about it. He would love to be on system that he never had to manage himself. Didn’t have to worry about backups, about disk crashes, about having the latest version of software. He doesn’t feel the need to “own” the software nor to have it saved locally. He is a prime candidate for a WebOS.
3. Gadget hounds and travelers:
Syncing is great, but what if you never had to? What if you always had your data available on you cell phone, PDA, Laptop, desktop, and office computer - instantaneously across all devices - without ever syncing? (Think IMAP vs POP applied to all data - not just email) What if you could go on a trip, log in borrowing your Mom’s 10 year old computer, and have all your apps running with all your data just as fast as you’re used to? Sure - there is only a subset of people who want to use their PDA as a desktop - but that group of people is big enough to warrant the development of the WebOS market. Equally small is the number of people who actually want to lug their laptop with them where-ever they go.
It’s easy to scoff at the idea of the WebOS. I know I did when I first contemplated the idea of SAAS (Software as a service). But now I am building my own WebOS (very early beginnings).
Think outside you’re own experience and I think you will find there is place for just about everything.
-CF
One of the reasons why I like eyeOS is that it is not developed in the States (and we don’t seem to do a great job all the time with the open source concept as our European folk do) _and_ I really eyeOS has had more time to mature than some of the other WebOS’s.
Just my two small cents.
just wanted to mention parakey as its the first one i actually heard about
http://slashdot.org/articles/06/11/01/2045220.shtml
nothing tangible as yet but theres a few interviews which seem to give a good guide to whats in the works and will be personally very interested what the wizard of firefox fame can conjure , seems like a very logical and sensible kind of genius
just this yak herders cent and a half
For some reason, Desktop Two’s homepage at http://desktoptwo.com/ is blank.
I gotta go. Later everyone
Um, nevermind. It seems that I accidently disabled something related to my browser. Opps. I can access desktoptwo.com now.
When i can do video/songs encoding then ill consider using it, otherwise i don’t see a point.
There are operating systems (OSs) for programmers to play around with and there are operating systems for the ordinary user.
True it is the programmers and “push the envelope” and cause otherwise staid companies to launch products with new innovative features.
Firefox and the release of Internet Explorer 7 is such an example.
Most users want simple functionality. Usually all they want to do is browse the web or use the computer for school.
There are some basic needs as well for song downloads and perhaps gaming although to a great degree gaming has been taken over by specalized game platform gaming systems.
It is always wise to remember who target markets are .
“Web Operating System”
There is no such thing
They seem to act more like configurable intranets than anything. I use Mac OS X and the sort of stuff I do may never be possible to replicate in a web browser (at least web browsers in their current state).
These sorts of applications may be useful for groups of staff or students who need very specialised types of environments, but everybody else? I know of companies using very specialised intranets and of schools using very specialised ‘desktop environments’ for their students through web browsers but there are so many other uses of computers that you can’t shoehorn them into a webapp.
For people who have such use for generic mail and distributed desktops, there is an application called Joyent which has been in production for a few years (http://joyent.com) and it’s quite impressive. It doesn’t claim to be a WebOS but it does ‘mostly what people need’ if that qualifies.
Please, stop using the term “Web Operating System”. It’s completely incorrect and misleading. From Wikipedia: ‘An operating system is a computer program that manages the hardware and software resources of a computer’.
“Web Desktop Enviroment” would be much better. But of course, it doesn’t sound as fancy to the bloggers…
@JavArt: I agree that the term WebOS is somewhat misleading, but Kottke.org, ZDnet and similar big sites adopted it. Wikipedia, on the other hand, calls it Online Operating System (OOS) - which is equally, if not more, misleading. I guess it’s just the case of choosing the lesser evil.
You are right about YouOS. It IS ugly.
Hi. I am one of the developers behind Orca Desktop (No. 6 in this list). First of all, I want to say that I am not here to defend Orca. But I really feel that the author might not have put the time and energy that was needed in a thorough comparison between the various Web Desktops. Let me elaborate.
1. The Screenshot
I don’t know whether this was intentional or it is a [undiscovered] bug that led to you being presented the Orca Desktop as you see in the screenshot, but is nothing like we have developed and the other users see. Do you really think that a Web Desktop would like a black canvas with no icons, no backgrounds, nothing?
Whatever the reason was, the fact is that the screenshot that you see here is not representative of Orca Desktop. If you want to see some REAL screenshots, then I request you to visit our site http://orcaa.com or atleast visit this link to get a feel of the real thing:
http://www4.orcadesktop.com/shoots/personal-interface-in-orcadesktop.com.jpg
2. No IE Support
Actually I agree with you on this one. Something tech savvy as a web desktop should have varied browser support but the fact is that when we started out with Orca (which was one of the first web desktops out there), it was just a proof of concept thing, and we were putting our leisure time in it. But seeing Orca grow with time (we have close to 4000 users), we are adding more and more features everyday. And what you (and other ordinary users) see is beta 1, which unfortunately works in IE only. But what is currently in the process of being rolled out is beta 2, which I assure you supports a plethora of browsers.
3. Unfinished, you say?
I don’t know what gave you this idea, but from where I see it, Orca is far ahead in the Web Desktop game than many other players. You seem to have totally missed out on the feature list of Orca, which is includes many applications such as:
* Media Player
* Web TV (Yes, a web based TV, where you can actually watch scores of channels from across the world, in your Orca Desktop)
* Office Suite (Zoho Office)
* Internet Browser
* File Manager
* Games
* Notepad
* RSS Reader
* Mail Client
* Calendar
* Clock
4. No mention of Orczilla
Many of the arguments above state that there is nothing like a complete Web OS. How can you call it an OS if you need another OS to run it? That’s exactly our viewpoint and that’s why we have Orczilla, a linux distribution, which you can boot of the CD (or install) and boot into a browser that opens your Orca Desktop. Now that’w what we call total mobility.
All in all, I (and I hope others too, after reading my comment) feel that the review of Orca (and possibly others in this list) is not justified. The reviewer, due to some language issues by the developers whose native language is not English, was just too quick in dismissing Orca. I hope he decides to give it another look and maybe change his view about our product.
There is a kind of WebOS that is used commercially right now: Citrix servers. I work in a large hospital system, and many application (both browser based and Windows client-server based) work via a Citrix server. Many of these applications are from vendors that never intended for their application run on anything but the user’s desktop. I agree with an earlier review about large organizations that need a desktop independent of the user’s desktop for running organization wide applications.
@Nipun: Hello, and thx for replying.
We agree on Firefox support so I’ll just skip this part.
On all your other points, the answer is simple: due to a bug, browser incompatibility, or some other temporary problem, Orca worked for me exactly as I’ve described it - lousy, and what you see on my screenshot is exactly what I saw.
Normally, I would second guess such weird behaviour from an application, but since we’re talking about WebOSes, many of which are not in beta but early alpha phases, I simply concluded that Orca is in its very early stages of development.
I’m sorry for not having time to test Orca from another computer, but in all probability the developers of Orca should still consider what I’ve wrote here, because if Orca was so buggy to me then it probably will be pretty buggy to some other users.
Incidentally, I’m currently working on a fix to make this site work better in IE7. If a IE7 user came to this site he/she could rightfully conclude that the site is not worth his/hers time, simply because I didn’t test to see if it works in IE7 and it looks garbled. And I cannot blame them - all I can do is fix the problems (:
However, I promise I will take another look at Orca as soon as possible and update the text if I manage to get it working properly.
I agree - drop the OS tag. It just doesn’t make sense, no matter how many people use it. These are just applications - and you need an OS to get to them.
Hi, I’m the lead developer over at Xindesk, no 9 on this list, and we like flash, but it’s slower to develop in, and it’s important that applications on a webtop have an intensely rapid develoment pace, because that’s what a webos is supposed to provide for, and that’s what the future of the web will require.
The web is moving ahead to version 3.0, and it wont stop there either, and regardless of what we can expect in the future, it’s going to require more development, more investments and more features, and it’s a race, and there’s no settling down on ones ass, being content with the stuff one has done sofar.
Flash is cool, but application wise, it’s moving slower.
Sofar, skilled flash developers have (mostly) just done cooler versions of stuff and functions already developed elsewhere, while being more costly in doing it.
When/if this changes, Xindesk will move right over to the flash technology, but until then, we’re staying on course.
@Stan, thanks for your reply. My whole point in making this post was to point out that Orca is nothing like what has been described here (we will be checking out the logs to see why it showed up the way it did). I am sure you will be kind enough to spend some more time on Orca Desktop which (hopefully) will change your opinion (and consequently your review here) about it.
[http://xinteleport.blogspot.com/2006/12/webos-review.html]
Although Google OS was not reviewed, I would like to comment on some of the applications currently available. To get started, you get a “Personalized Home”, where you can have RSS feeds along with applets like a simple bookmark list, to-do list, clock, and many others from Google and third parties in several categories: news, tools, communication, fun & games, finance, sports, lifestyle and technology. Your setup may span several pages accessed through a tab interface, and on every one of them sitting at the top is the Google search box.
My desktop at home has MS Works installed, which I very seldom use. Instead I use “Docs and Spreadsheets” from Google. There is also a database application, “Base”, I have not used yet. Presentations is the only application missing from the Office suite, and I would expect Google to buy one soon.
Add GMail with storage approaching 3GB’s per user, a Calendar application, a simple web page creator (hosted by Google) and a web clipping application, “Notebook”, that lets you store small bits of sites you visit.
This applications are very stable and do not require that you download anything. I used them on a daily basis. Actually I wrote this review on “Docs and Spreadsheets” because I wanted to have it spell checked before posting it, and to keep a copy on my own file.
However, I would really like to see other players deliver a solid Suite of Web Applications (SWAp: I like it better than WebOS).
Thank you Stan for your research and for raising awareness on this trend.
Can we please stop calling these OSs. They are simply applications launchers. An OS is WAY more than these. I have a web application launcher, it’s called Firefox.
exhibited across from these guys at a show, surprised to see they’re not included, seem much further along than some in the “top 10″: www.odesktop.net
As Jeffl wrote:
“There is a kind of WebOS that is used commercially right now: Citrix servers.”
All operating systems can be used as “web operating system” with a well-known
technology called thin client computing, or server-based computing.
Citrix is well-known, other vendors are cheaper and offer better technology.
As an example 54 elementary schools in Almere ( the Netherlands) use thin client technology from Sun Microsystems to access their applications and desktops.
The main reason in schools to use thin clients is that schools do not have the people
to manage lot´s of personal computers. Another reason is that with thin clients,
security is not an issue anymore, as you can read in my blog here:
http://www.thinsia.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry060930-133406
Roland Sassen
@Nipun: the text is updated with some new info about Orca.
Thank you for updating the review. I really wish for it to have worked for you the first time. But after reading the updated review, I am not complaining (anymore).
the people at www.icube.at are working on an additional online operating system, entirely based on dhtml with all kinds of skin/language support and real-time communications. sounds like another candidate system for later review.
Dear Stan
On behaf of ORCA, may i thank you for an outstanding well done job.
I have added a post about your review here :
http://www.orcawebos.com/orcaa.com/forum.php?show_posts=122
.. Merry Christmas and a happy new year ..
With kind Regards
Leon Bollerup
CEO // Lead Devleoper
Team ORCA - http://www.orcadesktop.com
All the above are flash based, or ajax or a mixture, and seem to be trying to get users to use a new OS, I came across www.nivio.com, which is actually windows itself.
It just looks like terminal services, but from the postings I have seen, I think soon they will allow you to download and install your own apps. I would add it to the list….why I guess its because it windows, and people are used to using windows. Having used it, I can use word/excel , but I think it would be better if I could install what I want.
Do people want a new OS or do they want a web based OS that they are used to?
Also cosmopod looks good, its linux based, both of the above seem to be doing it
Darren
A big name like Google may not want to take the time to develop a product that they aren’t sure anyone will use it. I imagine if one of these platforms take off that Google will just buy it out.
Why it just may be an OS:
I’ve enjoyed the discussion here - especially those getting all hot bothered by the naming convention (that’s not an OS).
Here are some points to consider:
1. An OS can be run on a virtual machine. If there is no direct machine interaction, is it no longer an OS?
2. An OS is an application that has been coded. The fact that it is boot-strapped at startup doesn’t make it any more (or less) than an application. So the point about Web-OS being “just an application” is correct - in the same way that traditional OS is “just an application”.
3. The article was pretty clear to define the concept of an OS for the purposes of this discussion: “WebOS is a virtual operating system that runs in your web browser. More precisely, it’s a set of applications running in a web browser that together mimic, replace or largely supplement a desktop OS environment”. Since the article defines what a “WebOS” is, it is correct to call these applications WebOS, as that’s what these system do.
4. Firefox is not WebOS, and the WebOS applications do much more than “launch applications”. Equating the two is a clear indication that the poster missed the point completely.
5. Would you consider the X Operating System (not to be confused with OSX) an operating system?
6. These systems are made up of a window manager, disk manager, user account manager, and an application manager. They may even have advanced network management. Sounds very much like an OS to me.
-CF
It’s very interesting!
Can I translate this post (maybe with valueable coments) and publish somewhere in russian blogosphere?
Hello,
Have you tried my WebOs Fenestela (www.fenestela.com)?
It works exactly as a desktop interface with all functions (user’s account, create/copy/delete of folders, files and shortcuts, right-clic to upload/download/copy/cut/paste, graphic appereance customizable) etc.
It works with any web browser (IE, Firefox,Mozilla, Opera, Konqueror, etc) with any OS (Windows, Linux, MacOs).
You can install it on your own web space with php. You can install your own php applications. You can manage your web spa
@Stac: sure, why not.
I’d like to thank everyone who brought other WebOS applications to my attention. It seems I might have to do another round of reviews soon (;
The thing is, when the Internet goes down, so does your Web operating system. So what’s the point when there is no connectivity.
Then again, when your hardrive crashes, all your data is gone.
On the web, it’s still there.
There’s no point in arguments like this, each has it’s advantages/disadvantages.
Have a look at eXo Enterprise WebOS, it is not in the list and quite new in the market as the company is already on the Portal and ECM markets.
Nevertheless, the enterprise positioning, the strong server side back end and impressive UI already makes it as the most advanced web os out there.
Check some screenshots there
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29715989@N00/
Nomads who use several desktop computers at work, home, laptops, libraries… need a central repository for stuff. Perhaps one of these will do the job. Meanwhile, I use things like FURL.net, GMAIL and Google Notebook.
Regarding the coment on server backends, no webos is complete without a server backend, I agree.
Xindesk has one that treats serverside code like DHTML.
http://www.naltabyte.se/calculator.htm
Hi Mikael Bergkvist,
Indeed the server side aspect is critical. And on that side standardization is a key point IMO as building applications will be the same as what happen in the Portal world. In fact, in eXo Enterprise WebOS, applications are built using the Java Portlet API which also allows application portability, extensibility and a small learning curve for most enterprise developers.
That is where Java EE comes in play, the portal market is a mature one and WebOS are for us just a new UI for it. Our current portal and ECM customers are large accounts that will only deploy standardized applications in their IT system, mainly Java EE or .Net ones.
That is the same for another critical part of the OS: the file system. We have spent 2 years at eXo building an optimized Java Content Repository (JCR JSR 170) implementation that allows content structuration, SQL like search, replication, XML standardized import and export, versioning, locking and much more. We now use it as the core part of our WebOS file system and trust me, that part is much more complex than building the UI mechanism.
Furthermore, openness and even Open Source platform will have the bigger momentum.
Cheers
Benjamin
Different approaches enriches the world.:-)
Xindesk has a serverside format all of it’s own, that’s more remnant of dhtml than php, asp or java.
Instead, we ported the runtime for the browsers dhtml engine to the server.
It’s therefor simple to develop advanced interactive serverapps for xindesk if you know dhtml in general, using javascript and the dom, creating interactive responsive serverapps, since it’s the exact same as creating apps for the browser itself.
Indeed Mickael,
So your approach is like building widgets / gadgets for all type of application. I also think hat those pure dhtml/javascript small and light applications have their interest as in Mac OS or Vista even in start pages like Netvibes but they are limited to mashup of services that have REST or webservices API exposed.
In the other hand, most of enterprise application and older system like mainframes do not have any such API and I doubt they will ever have. But there exist JCA connectors and other Java server side API to expose the data of such heavy but important applications such as ERPs and CRMs…that’s where portlet are necessary.
With eXo Enterprise WebOS, we also propose a widget model à la Mac OS that is built as an application/portlet (exactly like in Mac OS as the Dashboard is an application itself that handle js widgets) and allows people to plug new components or existing pure javascript ones (Mac OS, Google widgets…).
So indeed both approaches enriches the world…but better have both so
Maybe we should talk?
Sure why not
contact me at benjamin.mestrallet at exoplatform.com
cheers
@Mikael and Benjamin: it looks like a good collaboration might come out of this discussion. I wish both of you the best of luck with your products.
There are some nice points to all of these “WebDesktops” indeed, the most prominent being probably the fact that such systems are definitely fun to implement.
But from the practical perspective, one of the most simple and efficient recipes for a web-desktop would be the following:
1) A *nix box able to act as an X11 client.
2) A flash (or any other easily-deployable) plugin implementing the X server.
Voila! Anyone in for making it happen?
Now I do understand that X11 protocol might be elderly and inconvenient and hence there might be an incentive to reinvent this wheel (and that’s what all these systems do, in a way) but why not start with simple things first?
Take a look at http://www.gopc.net/.
It’s based on Suse and operates independently or in the browser.
I’m yet to be convinced that any of these have value, and I’ve tried a few. The concept is great but the delivery is lacking.
Bring on Google OS.
Thanks for a great collection.
i never knew about this OS before.
I am working with DesktopTwo for now.
The mention of Nivio made me stop and think about Windows Remote Desktop and how it fits in with a WebOS and the way I work.
For me Remote Desktop is the ideal solution to a WebOS and is something I use all the time. I was also drawn to write about this on my blog at: http://blog.surfulater.com/2007/01/05/web-operating-systems-versus-remote-desktop/
I wonder what others think.
Enough of this debate whether it s ‘true os’ or not! The webtop is not meant to fill the same need as a desktop on the pc. The similarities in appearance are decieving, so it’s partly our own fault, but there should be an element of common sense coming into play at some point.
Xindesk is NOT meant to be the equivalence of a pc/desktop or remote desktop, it’s supposed to resolve a web application development issue.
When you develop an application like an email app, you will hit a certain point when it’s more logical to spawn a completely new app, rather than further litter the interface with more functions that stray more and more away from the core functionality, and therefor confusing the apps primary focus.
Like a calendar or whatever.
It would be nice if I could open this new app from the said email app, since it’s spawned from it, and if these two apps could interact seamlessly with eachother, exchanging their data back and forth, without much of an effort from me as a developer.
The user also might want to toggle the two apps in a way that I haven’t predicted..but that’s ok.
They are infact free to custimize their workflow any way they please becasue of this shared enviroment, without causing me too much of a headache as a developer.
This is the whole point of ‘windows’ anyway.
That’s why window systems relying on iframes totally blows.
In this shared enviroment, I can perform this party-trick over and over, making the enviroment a pleasently unified experience - albeit being completely webcentric, focusing on tasks not related to what one would associate with a local pc.
Please, couldn’t someone just kill the “webos� tag already, it’s long overdue, and it’s not the point of the new generation of web software anyway.
This time, they appeared because there is a real problem in the background that’s being adressed.
The funny part is that the user might not immidiatly benefit from this, they will just get this cool but partly pointless desktop, it’s the development behind that actually benefits, but in the longer term, that will pay of for the user getting better apps for a cheaper price.
This is an evolvment responding not so much to the user, but to what the guys behind need to respond to the user.
You may compare this to Microsofts office suit.
In a sense, it’s a single app too, broken upp in smaller units.
The so called “webos� is a similar type of beast, but for a more ‘agnostic’ purpose.
But in a sense, it’s the exact same damn thing!
I agree w/ most of the posters here. The web is truly being embraced as a platform - but are any of these sites really an OS? I think not. Most are just overly-complicated apps. For now I’ll stick w/ netvibes and the like as well. There’s another new homepage service I saw he other day that also seems to have some great potential called schmedley - http://www.schmedley.com
Xindesk is a platform, for which it’s dead simple to write apps for - we have gone to great lengths to make sure of that. It’s not complex at all in that sense.
Hi,
I’m a developer of eyeOS and want to talk with the writer of these text. It’s a good text, but I want to discuss with him about some things in the eyeOS-frame.
Is there any eMail I can write it to? My eMail is lars-sh@eye-os.de.
Lars
PS: In the end of february there will be a new version of eyeOS (1.0) with a REAL os-kernel, … wisit our sites … in english: http://eyeos.org/ or in german: http://eye-os.de/
Interesting detail, if you search google for ‘ajax webos’ for example:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=ajax webos
that’s very nice and so cool
http://www.forsannet.com
I am currently working on a WebOS too, at the moment its in extreemly early development, but you can see what I have so far at www.flashdesktop.co.uk I plan on having box.net integration working in a coupple of weeks.
At the moment I am using the windows xp theme as an example, but my WebOS allows users to create their own themes, you can change theme by right clicking on the desktop and clicking properties.
What I have online is the latest build as of last night, try dragging desktop icons around and drag selecting them. This functionality that is missing from most other WebOSes is what I found so annoying. I am trying to make mine the nicest to use. So that users that know how to use windows will feel at home at flashdesktop.co.uk
I am very excited about eyeOS.org. It’s a very a promising and mature project. What separates this forom other WebOSes is that it is open source and and downloadable to your own server. You can’t ask more than that. The open source philosophy is the way to go.. look har far Linux has come. Groupware is very important too, which eyeOS addresses with private and public folders.
Although I believe WebOSes is the REAL introduction to web 2.0, why is there no easy solution to having a browser based thin client to your *nix machine?? Doesn’t that solve the whole dilemma of having an OS on the go? The way I like to test if it’s really on the go is if I can access all my files and PIM contact, calendars, tasks, etc from any internet cafe in the world (since internet cafe’s don’t let you install anything of course).
As you can tell, I’m swaying back and forth between WebOSes and browser thin clients. Great dicussion tech freaks (I’m one too).
Any chance of evaluating G.ho.st VC? it seems to be a nice Virtual Computer with a unique concept.
Anyone signing up for Xindesk gets a blog account for free along with the 1GB space of storeage. Xindesks own blog ( http://www.xindesk.com/blog ) is using the very same blog account engine and explains how it’s set up.
My Webos: http://www.codeorama.com - please, visit!
mmmm im still confused on why they are called operating systems. They all go complete away from the meaning of an operating system.
Operating System definition: The software that the rest of the software depends on to make the computer functional. On most PCs this is Windows or the Macintosh OS. Unix and Linux are other operating systems often found in scientific and technical environments.
None of the Web “Operating Systems” apple this definition .. so how can they go around calling themselves an OS online?!
Anyway, in response to ChronoFish :
1. Corporate desktop environment: The companies you have worked for have have obviously never had good IT staff. And i suppose you have never heard of a deploy system? Or Windows update for Network Administrators? Or Yum tools for Linux networks?
2. Neophites: You have a fair point. So im guessing you guarantee the host computer wont crash and have disc failures? What happens if your online application goes down? What do i do if i need to print a document but my computer isnt on the internet? What happens if i want to play a game?? Oohh i should of been smart enough to use an actual operating system that doesnt need to depend on its environment. Doh!!
3. Gadget hounds and travelers: Again fair points mentioned here, but non of the web applications mentioned worked on my mobile phone? or my Pda? Ever heard of automatic bluetooth sync’ing? or sync’ing your data automatically via GPRS with the solutions your mobile service provider provide?? Obviously not …….
Seriously, think about …. all the Web “Operating Systems” suck and always will enless someone gets the idea that they cant compete with actual operating systems but instead thinks of a nice way to sync information between different working environments like my mobile phone, pda, laptop, work computer and desktop pc. Thats what is needed, i dont want to run excel through a webOs just so i can share it with all my other products.
ad
why r there so many w-os, i’ve heard about the Parabivg thing ,it’s also known as WEB OS. it’s quite alpha though even if they call it beta. haha. it was told from ,like, my friend of friend of friend. This thing is just developed by 1 or 2 person and they are just about less than 15. wow ,howz that. Not too bad for a boy - but something’s wrong lately. try www.parabivg.coz.in
I’m releasing Ironbox SDKs before the end of this month (March 2007). Ironbox is like a WebOS front-end that anyone can download and create their own WebOS.
I don’t regard a WebOS like traditional OSes, where there’s a few and you pick one or two. Instead, I see lots of people and organizations developing and supporting their own WebOS based on their needs and what apps they want to make available.
You can download and pair Ironbox with any server code you want. You can offer it as a WebOS like those reviewed here, but you can also just use it as a front-end for mashups and let the whole Web be your OS.
Try out the demo at http://www.ironbox.com. As I said, there will be SDKs to download in just a few days.
–Jay
Oops… The above link should be http://www.ironbox.com without the period after com
Ironbox? ru kidding me? It have kinda weird UI, to be honest.
Define ‘weird’ ??
What do you think about WebOS in the consumer electronics product?
Thanks guys I’ve been following this thread with interest over the past few weeks (since I found it) as I’ve been hunting around for some web based (private) workspace for a while now. I’ve been using Desktoptwo for a bit - till today that is when I got my beta invite to another online desktop service called desktopondemand.com
I agree with Mikael - I think many people looking at a desktop on the web as a full replacement for your own desktop are missing the point. I’ve wanted a place that I could call up when I’m travelling on work as an add-on to my PC and centralise essential files in an easy way and both Desktoptwo and Desktopondemand fit the bill in that respect.
I’ve tried a number of the others mentioned here and none seem to do anything with any real conviction and seem to miss a beat when it comes to even the basic stuff.
I’ve only just started using desktopondemand (today in fact) but already looks very promising and I even surprised myself I was able to work my way through (quite a long winded email from them) and get connected to my desktop first time!
Hey BLove57 I think what you’re looking for is now here or at least in most part from what I can make out about what you’re wanting from a ‘webOS’.
My hope (probably futile) for a “Web OS” or whatever one wishes to call it, is that someone would create one for legacy devices. Electronics does not wear out in two years, typically, but manufacturers may decide to stop production of a product and provide no further support. I have a HP Jornada 728, which has a form factor I like, and some basic onboard tools. But it doesn’t do everything, so access to more advanced tools would be great. Sure, I could consider dropping a couple of grand on a 2-lb laptop, but this thing weighs a pound. I looked at other things (e.g Samsung) and don’t like the small screen.
I can appreciate their might be serious technical feasibility issues with supporting some generic interface (like maybe there is no such thing), but I wonder if there isn’t some way to create the “Notepad” of WebOSes. Something with an elastic layout to conform to various screens, no Flash, etc. Outside my area of expertise, but I hope greatly. Perhaps someone knows of such a thing?
Thanks.
Another web (ajax) based operating system can be found at www.oos.cc It looks almost like a perfrect clone of windows