Online operating system
| Online Operating System (OOS)
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|---|---|
 Screenshot of the OOS web top |
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| Basic data
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| Publishing year | 2005 |
| Current version | 1.3.01 (September 1, 2008) |
| operating system | platform independent |
| category | Web desktop |
| License | EUPL (all applications) |
| German speaking | Yes |
| Online operating system | |
The Online Operating System (OOS for short) is a free and multilingual web desktop that uses JavaScript and Ajax . All existing components (windows, controls, event mechanisms, etc.) were created on the basis of the reBOX framework (from the Austrian company iCUBE Network Solutions).
about the project
The OOS provides an online platform that mimics the look and feel of classic desktops (such as Microsoft Windows , Mac OS X , KDE , GNOME ) and desktop applications ( Microsoft Word , Thunderbird, etc.). In addition to the basic system (desktop, user and rights management, event handling, etc.), it also consists of a number of applications that were developed with the help of the reBOX framework.
The project is (partially) financed by the Internet Privatstiftung Austria (IPA) through grants. On August 1, 2008, more than 20,000 users joined the OOS community and around 1,500 people use the OOS regularly.
history
The development of OOS began in 2006 by iCUBE Network Solutions, followed by a first beta release in 2006. Due to its early start, the OOS, together with youOS and eyeos, can be seen as the first application (webtop) of its kind. The first full version of the OOS (including multilingualism, file system and a basic set of applications) was exhibited in March 2007 at ITnT Austria. The beta status was lifted half a year later (October 2007). The first stable version (1.0.0) was released in July 2007. The OOS and the applications it contains have received several awards (see). In addition to the awards, the OOS became known for its focus on the community and collaboration (see).
Although the OOS was originally only developed for the German market, three languages are already supported (German, English and Spanish). The OOS left the German-speaking area after its first stable version (for examples see also or).
The current version of OOS is 1.3.01 (from August 1st, 2008)
Technological background
The OOS was developed entirely in JavaScript and only uses DHTML techniques to (theoretically) work in every available browser ( Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 are currently supported). The system implements a state of the art web application. The communication between client ( browser ) and server ( Tomcat ) takes place asynchronously with the help of Ajax . The goal is to offer a user the possibilities directly in the browser, which one (until today) only knows from desktop applications, which is the basic idea of all web desktops .
Typical for this type of web application are the global use of JavaScript-on-Demand techniques that allow the project to be divided into small parts in order to be able to reload them if necessary.
Based on the discussed technologies and possibilities, reBOX is used to create applications. reBOX is a flexible and easily expandable API (including a set of GUI components, communication mechanisms and server applications that offer various web services).
The OOS is based on a basic framework which enables a developer to run any JavaScript application (based on reBOX). The graphical user interface is very similar to that of a Windows desktop. There is a start menu, a task bar and a desktop background. All applications run in this environment. On the server side, Java web services are used which serve as an interface between the client and server. A relational database ( MySQL ) is used.
OOS provides an integrated development environment (IDE) which enables every developer to develop and publish their own reBOX applications for the OOS (see below in the chapter Development of Applications )
License
All applications that are available in OOS are subject to the EUPL license.
The reBOX IDE is freely available for developing applications for the OOS.
Features
In addition to the options of the basic system (multilingualism, theme and style support, user and file management, applications, etc.), the OOS offers other freely available services.
- Integrated and flexible data storage (up to 1 GB per user)
- image editing
- Free OOS subdomain : <username> .oos.cc for homepages and a picture gallery
- An integrated development environment ( IDE ) with the help of which applications for the OOS can be developed
- Https for secure communication between client and server
In the upcoming releases , the focus will be on security. An attempt is made to ensure anonymous communication (surfing the Internet with the help of the browser integrated in OOS, checking emails, etc.) and encrypted storage of private data.
Application development
Before the development of the OOS began, it was important for the project to provide a flexible and easily expandable API (reBOX) that could be used to develop applications. By decoupling the API and the necessary JavaScript know-how, it is possible with reBOX to write applications that come very close to the syntax and functionality of Java : elements and components can be implemented and used as with any other high-level object-oriented programming language without having to be familiar with divs or browser specifics. The framework also offers the functionality for asynchronous communication, multilingualism and style and theme management.
In order to be able to develop applications (based on reBOX) for the OOS, there is the “Developer Suite” in the OOS, with the help of which applications can be written in a simple way. Each user can use it to create and manage his own programs. Additional features such as auto-completion and outlining are currently supported. In one of the following releases it is planned to offer a visual GUI editor with the help of which the graphical user interface of an application can be "clicked together" directly in the browser, as is known from Visual Studio and Eclipse .
See also
Similar applications
- universeOS "open source web operating system"
- eyeos
- DesktopTwo
- G.ho.st
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Netidee 2006 - Austrian Innovation Award from the Internet Private Foundation Austria . Archived from the original on April 10, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ Netidee 2007 - Austrian Innovation Award from the Internet Private Foundation Austria . Archived from the original on November 14, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ derStandard.at - The desktop always available (WebTip) (pdf; 1.2 MB) June 12, 2007. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ^ Zsolt Wilhelm: derStandard.at - The "online operating system" OOS puts Google Labs in their place (Austrian newspaper - official archive) . October 29, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ Zsolt Wilhelm: derStandard.at - The "online operating system" OOS puts Google Labs in their place (Austrian newspaper - Offline Copy) (pdf; 58 kB) October 29, 2007. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Info : The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ Tagesanzeiger.ch (Swiss newspaper) . February 28, 2008. Archived from the original on April 26, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ Simon Hibbott: Web 2.0 Online Operating System . February 29, 2008. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ cnbeta.com - Chinese WebOS Review . June 12, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ Andrew Krupin: computerra.ru - Russian Web Desktop Review . July 11th, 2008. Archived from the original on December 29th, 2010. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ↑ blogspot.com - Turkish blog entry including a video . August 29, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
- ^ Jesse James Garrett: Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications . AdaptivePath.com. February 18, 2005. Archived from the original on July 2, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
- ↑ Ajax Patterns? On-demand JavaScript . Archived from the original on April 22, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
