Several months have passed since I wrote my original review of 10 WebOS-type applications. Although Google hasn’t really made an (expected) move in this field yet, the topic still spurs a lot of interest, and many new applications have been launched. It’s time to review another 10 web operating systems.
Again, one must take into account that many, if not all, of these applications are in very early stages of development. Some promise to be real competition to desktop OS’s, while some don’t promise anything, standing out there as functional betas without even a word from the developers. Whatever your opinion on the WebOS phenomenon may be, keep in mind that the boundaries, categories and definitions for this article are set rather loosely. For the purpose of this article, just like the first one, a WebOS is defined as virtual operating system that runs in a web browser environement. Don’t like WebOS? Well, call it OnlineOS, or WebTop if you like.
So, here is a review of another 10 functional WebOS’, as well as some additional similar services which show promise but aren’t launched or fully realized yet.
DesktopOnDemand
DesktopOnDemand seems to be the most ambitious service on this list, which is why I was unpleasantly surprised with some very annoying login problems. Simply put, I was unable to login and it took some 10 tries to start the application at all. When it finally did start, it crashed immediately, and I had to restart.
All this is unfortunate, because DesktopOnDemand offers a lot. It is, simply put, Linux, in your web browser. Given the complexity of Linux as opposed to many other apps described here, I won’t go into details - just imagine one of those Live CD Linux distros inside a web browser window. Needless to say, the choice of applications is fantastic, and you can definitely use DOD to do real work, store data (you get 1 GB of storage), browse (anonymously) the Internet etc. The speed is not stellar but it’s bearable, and the stability and functionality is, well, pretty much the same of any light or Live CD Linux distro.
While DesktopOnDemand’s approach obviously offers much more than the competition, there are a couple of things we didn’t like. As opposed to most other services on this list, DOD requires you to download an install an application for it to operate (you can alternatively choose a Java-powered version of DOD which didn’t work for me). This means that it’s not something you can easily and quickly use from any computer, and in some ways it defeats the whole purpose of the concept of a WebOS. This said, I must say that DesktopOnDemand is impressive with some regards and is definitely one to keep an eye on in the future.
G.ho.st
This cryptically named offering (Ghost is short for Global Hosted Operating SysTem) is Flash-based, and it has come a long way since the first time I’ve tried it out. GUI-wise it resembles Windows, but it goes farther than just mimicking its look and feel, offering for examples, animations and fade in/out transitions. The available applications are numerous and quite standard for a WebOS: RSS reader, web browser, notes, clock, search, e-mail reader and instant messenger are some examples. G.ho.st lacks an office suite, but, as G.ho.st’s lead developer Zvi Schreiber told me, “Unlike the other “Web OSs” G.ho.st actually works with leading Web applications like Google docs and Flickr instead of being limited to our own Apps!…” “...G.ho.st actually provides a single sign-in and single file system to add value to those other apps.”
Registered users receive 3GB of free storage, and quite extensive help and support on every step. Instead of files, G.ho.st introduces objects. Here’s a quote from G.ho.st’s website explaining the concept:
“…instead of “Files” we have the more general concept of “Objects” - an Object can be a file hosted at G.ho.st or at a third part like Flickr® or Google®. An Object can also be a Service (like an App or Widget) or a real world object like a person, book, credit card. An Object can be anything really! Also you can put an Icon for the Object in many different Folders, not only one.”
G.ho.st works pretty well, but it’s not without the occasional weird bug with windows minimizing for no reason, or some graphical elements being slightly askew. Furthermore, many important and expected elements are missing: trash can, some context menus, or entire menus or confirmation dialogs in some cases. It’s enough to put off many a user from becoming a regular, but it’s obvious that a lot of effort has been invested into G.ho.st, and with some polishing, it could become a great service.
ODesktop
Odesktop comes with the following definition: “Using Ajax and PHP, it (ODesktop) mimics window-like applications behaviour in your web browser but also is designed to run multiple web applications at a time.” Besides this, they also offer the ability to install ODesktop on your own web host.
The first problem I’ve encountered with trying out ODesktop is the fact that the demo is in a language I do not understand (I would guess Malaysian). This, as you can imagine, made my life as a reviewer harder, but the icons and the info on the web site was straightforward enough to give it a quick glance (when I was already done with the review I’ve found the quite hidden option to switch to English language, after which I’ve gone and rereviewed Odesktop again). The GUI is nice and clean; it’s not the faster I’ve seen, but it’s fast enough; and, what’s even better, it doesn’t eat a lot of CPU time. The applications available are a file manager, music player, photo album, instant messenger, email client, a bunch of games and a cross between an RSS reader and a web browser. Solid, but not too impressive. As far as customization goes, some options are present, for example changing the wallpaper, but the options end as soon as they begin.
ODekstop offers 10 GB of storage - in theory - but its nifty way of uploading files by just dragging and dropping them on a toolbar didn’t work for me every time, sometimes causing the entire demo to freeze. All this makes ODekstop one of those applications that look good, and promise a lot, but there’s a small letdown at every corner. Verdict: more polishing, more applications, then we can talk.
AjaxWindows
AjaxWindows tries really hard to replicate your desktop environment. Thus, when you start the service, you’ll be presented with a wizard that can synchronize your music, pictures, and documents folder, as well as wallpaper and some other details, with the AjaxWindows online experience.
Main AjaxWindows features, besides the synchronization, are secure connection, and 1GB of FREE storage for your files (plus more for MP3 files). There’s also a decent number of applications, most of which are web apps which come from the same company that built AjaxWindows - Ajax13. There’s also a number of widgets, which include RSS feeds, weather info and the like.
As far as performance goes the entire experience is a bit slow, and the main window opens in a separate window, which can be annoying, but overall, it’s quite usable - unless you open too many applications which can cause a serious system slowdown.
AjaxWindows is the newest application in this roundup, but already it has quite a few things going for it - lots of applications, solid stability, and the synchronization feature which the competitors don’t have. However, the slowness of the entire experience could be enough to chase away many users, and it’s something they have to work on.
MyLGD
MyLGD is short for My Little Green Desktop, and that’s just about all the info I’ve found about the service. It’s a flash-based virtual OS environment which, surprisingly, works quite well. The applications open quite slowly, but the GUI is very fast, and takes little to no CPU time.
There’s quite a few applications available, including some games, calculator, calendar, photo browser, file browser, and several others. Many of them work quite well, sometimes better than the apps in some other similar products which initially look more polished.
Overall, no one will want to actually use MyLGD just yet because of lack of polish, absence of help and the general feel of an alpha product, but as a proof of concept it works quite well and it would be a shame if it were not developed further.
Nivio
Nivio is similar to DesktopOnDemand, only on a different platform. It’s a Windows desktop environment in your browser, and for some reason, I didn’t particularly like this idea. Having Windows running in a Java window was painfully slow, and although many users will appreciate the fact that they can readily use this without having to learn anything new, I’m not really convinced that Windows is the best way to go for a WebOS - I’d prefer something simpler and built from the grounds up for this purpose; some may, of course, disagree.
With Nivio, you get a virtual Windows XP box, 5 GB of space for your data, backup options, virus and spam protection (and since this is Windows, you’ll probably need them), and of course, a big variety of applications - since this is Windows, the possibilities are endless. Nivio also offers some commercial software, like the Microsoft Office Suite, which is not to be neglected and is a huge advantage over other service on this list.
Nivio definitely has some things going for it, but having the WebOS run in a Java window has repeatedly turned out to be a bad option. The long waits and the overall sluggishness of the service, didn’t really make me want to try all that Nivio has to offer.
Schmedley
Webtop would probably be a more appropriate monicker for Schmedley than a WebOS. It’s a widget launchpad, similar to Goowy, but less ambitious. However, by not complicating things too much Schmedley manages to be what many other similar services are not: fast and useful.
Open the Schmedley homepage, and you’ll be greeted by a number of widgets (called schmidgets in Schmedley, go figure). They’re all fully functional and they work very fast. On the bottom there’s a OS X-like dock from which you can launch your schmidgets, while a similar dock for a bit more advanced applications sits on top. Of course, signing up means that settings will be kept from session to session.
Available schmidgets include a notepad, calendar, RSS reader, Gmail reader, Amazon search, image display, stock display, weather display, Instant Messaging and several others.
We have experienced exactly zero problems with Schmedley, which is admirable. However, one cannot notice that it’s trailing Goowy by far in the amount of widgets-schmidgets it supports, since Goowy users can choose from Yourminis respectable widget base. Still, for a lightweight widget launchpad, it fares quite well.
Dekoh
Dekoh is a very different beast from the other services in this roundup, some of its aspects being the exact opposite of a WebOS. Detailed information is available at the official Dekoh Wiki, but in short, it’s a cross-OS desktop platform which enables you to share your media online. The key word is platform: with some regards, Dekoh compares better with Adobe’s Apollo than with the other WebOS-style services, as it lets you deploy Java, Ajax, or Flash apps across multiple operating systems.
Focusing on the user experience and not the technicalities, Dekoh can be described as a way to share media from your web browser, but all the media you upload resides on your hard drive.
What’s the point of it, then? Well, the idea behind Dekoh is sharing: organize your data, then share it with others. For example, after installing one of the available applications, Dekoh Photos, I was able to create my own photo collection and then share it with other Dekoh users. If you’ve ever used Hamachi to let people access your network over the Internet, think of Dekoh as a simple way to do it with your media.
The Desktop Portal, the central place from which you can manage your applications, looks more like a CMS than an OS - it enables you to install and manage your applications, as well as communicate with your buddies from the Dekoh network. The applications themselves are quite advanced, but I’ve had quite a few speed issues (music importing), and a couple of weird glitches, where I had to reopen a dialog several times to make something work.
After spending quite some time figuring what Dekoh can and cannot do, I must admit I’m not too sure what to make of it. The developers should definitely do a better job separating the user experience from information aimed at developers. Users want to start it up and start playing with the cool stuff: make it simple for them to do that. Also, the Dekoh Desktop Portal doesn’t really cut it as a central place to start your applications: the whole experience feels more like opening and closing a bunch of separate services than running a set of apps in a common environment. The applications themselves, while not very numerous, are good, but I don’t see myself using them until the whole package is a bit more polished.
Ironbox
Ironbox greeted me with quite an unnerving message. It apperently works well only in IE6, IE7 to some extent, and Firefox 1.5. Fortunately, I’ve tried it out with Firefox 2.0 and I didn’t bump into any problems.
Ironbox is described by the developer as “a front-end platform to help build and deploy Web applications. It is also a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that hosts Web applications in a desktop environment entirely contained within and run by a browser. This is the Ironbox desktop.” This means that Ironbox is quite close to the definition of a true WebOS: a platform that enables you to develop and build applications, and a GUI to deploy them.
As far as actual functionality goes, Ironbox won’t help you do any everyday tasks, as the number of applications is currently very limited. But, this doesn’t mean that Ironbox is not interesting. In fact, it offers quite a few interesting options. It’s skinnable; it’s taskbar is draggable and can be placed on top or either side of the screen. The applications can work across several windows (called boxes in Ironbox), which can be seen in action when you start the Fungrid app, and the boxes themselves can be automatically tiled or stacked from the toolbar menu.
We won’t recommend Ironbox to everyday users, but developers should take a good look at it, as the code to deploy applications in it seems quite simple and straightforward, and the functionality is quite advanced.
Finally, let’s take a look at how the devs of Ironbox define a WebOS, or WOS as they call it: “What we call a WOS consists of Ironbox paired with an advanced, app-aware Server Component. As we see it, a WOS will go beyond the traditional website concept to become a server-based platform, a virtual operating system of sorts, accessible through one or more domain names. In this scenario, the Server Component fulfills requests from Ironbox apps, accesses databases, stores apps for distribution, keeps track of accounts such as who has what rights to what apps and data, and serves customized versions of Ironbox itself. A WOS implementation can target a specific industry or set of applications, or it can be for general purpose. Anyone with the right skills can build a WOS, either for their own use or to offer as a platform for others to deploy.”
GCOE X
GCOE X is in a very early alpha stage of development, but something tells me that it might be an interesting product in the future. It doesn’t have any other way of launching applications or creating/deleting new files than the command line utility, and the applications themselves are scarce: there’s a web browser, MP3 player, IM chat, and that’s pretty much it.
However, everything works very fast and seems to be quite stable. Flash hell website like Mtv.com didn’t cause any problems in the browser. The impression I get is that GCOE X would work great if only there was anything to actually do with it. Hopefully, the developers will add some useful features in the future.
A couple more to keep an eye on in the future:
Xindesk
Xindesk was featured in the original WebOS review, and its lead developer, Mikael Bergkvist, was one of the most vocal supporters of the idea of a WebOS. Xindesk is not available as a beta yet, but I was allowed to have a quick peek into the alpha version, and I’ve also had a look at Challenger, another WebOS-type aplications that Xindesk has recently acquired, planning to merge the two services. At this point in time, there’s no point reviewing Xindesk as it will change significantly in the future after the merge, however from what I’ve seen Xindesk will definitely be a serious competitor in the WebOS space.
Exo - Currently consists out of some quite technical explanations and a couple of screenshots which admittedly look very promising. You can also see a video here.
OOS - no live demo yet, website says “soon”
Jooce - Currently in closed beta, haven’t been able to get an invite.
Xcerion - Also in closed beta. Seems to be an ambitious project, but I’ve seen nothing to confirm their ambitions yet.
Startforce - described as “Japan’s best WebOS”, promises 15 applications, has an open API.
Widgetop is by their own words, a Webtop, not a WebOS, merely bringing Apple Dashboard widgets to the web. The service is fully functional.
Go.PC - a commercial WebOS available - for some weird reason - only to residents of New Zealand and Australia. Go check the website, there’s a funny video there.
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