Online OS
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Web Operating System
.
The Online Operating System is a fully multi-lingual and free to use web desktop
written in JavaScript
using Ajax
. It is a windows-based desktop environment
with open source
applications and system utilities developed upon the reBOX web application framework by iCUBE Network Solutions, an Austrian company located in Vienna
.
, Mac OS X
or KDE
. It consists of various open source applications built upon the so-called reBOX web application framework.
As applications can be executed in an integrated and parallel way, the OOS can be considered a web operating system
, web desktop
or webtop. It provides basic services such as a GUI
, a virtual file system
, access control
management and possibilities to develop and deploy applications online. As the Online Operating System is executed within a web browser
, it is no real operating system but rather a portal to various web applications, offering a high usability and flexibility.
The project is partly funded by grants from the Internetprivatstiftung Austria (IPA). As at 01.08.2008 almost 20.000 users have joined the oos.cc community, using the offered featured and applications.
and eyeOS
, it can be considered to be one of the first publicly available systems of its kind. The first full version including core-level multi-language support, the file system and a basic set of applications was released to the public in March 2007 on the occasion of a national exhibition (ITnT Austria) and has left beta state half a year later in October 2007. The first release considered stable (1.0.0) was published in July 2007. The project itself and the contained applications have received several national innovation awards (see ,
) and have gained attention mainly due to the comprehensive approach taken (see ,,).
OOS.cc started as a national project. The full platform including all offered applications are currently available in three languages (German, English as well as Spanish) and is receiving increasing coverage around the world (for examples see ,,,, or ).
The current version is 1.3.01 from 01.08.2008.
, exclusively using DHTML techniques to run in any web browser
without any additional software installation needed. The system implements a modern kind of web application model , excessively using Ajax
for communicating between client components and the Java
server backend in an exclusively asynchronous manner. Aim is to offer users the unique interaction behavior following the desktop metaphor
, which is the main idea of any web desktop
.
Also typical for this sort of web application is the broadly use of Javascript-on-demand techniques, cutting the complete project source into pieces and loading them instantly when needed.
Based on this technical basis, reBOX is the framework library all applications in oos.cc are built of. It is a fully flexible and extensible API, including a GUI widget set, communication mechanisms and server services offering general and framework specific services.
The Online Operating System itself consists of a basic framework, which is able to launch any JavaScript
application using the reBOX library.
The user interface is based on the behavior of the windows desktop with a start menu, a task bar and a desktop background. All applications are running in this environment. At server side, there are Java
based web services running to serve the client processes and to provide data from the relational database
in the backend.
oos.cc also provides an integrated development environment called Developer Suite, which allows the community to build own applications for the desktop environment based on reBOX (see development section below).
(EUPL).
The reBOX development toolkit is free to use developing any applications for the webtop.
, and can be "installed" or "deinstalled" to what-ever preferences the user has.
Currently, and besides global services like the multi-language support or the global theme support, as well as some minor tools and games, oos.cc offers four major services that can be used completely free of charge.
Next releases are planned to focus on an extensive security and privacy suite, dealing with challenges like anonymous communication (browsing as well as temporary mail-addresses) as well as offering encrypted password and file storage and connectivity services. Since it initial stable release, OOS.cc can be accessed using https
to ensure secure communication.
program: Elements can be positioned and can interact like in high-level object oriented programming languages, without taking care of div
s, browser specific behavior or communication handling. The framework also offers multi-language and theme support for existing as well as newly created applications, allowing changing almost every aspect of the look and feel of the used components according to the preferences of its users.
For taking advantage of this approach, one of the applications offered in the OOS is an integrated Development Suite, allowing directly writing and executing code and hence creating new programs within the boundaries of the Webtop. As all applications on oos.cc are released as open source, all existing programs are offered to be imported, reviewed or changed and then locally deployed. Following this idea, every user is free to submit changed or newly created applications to be included in the globally offered application set. The current release offers features like auto-completion and an outline-window.
Web operating system
In metacomputing, WebOS and Web operating system are terms that describe network services for Internet scale distributed computing, as in the WebOS Project at UC Berkeley, and the WOS Project...
.
The Online Operating System is a fully multi-lingual and free to use web desktop
Web desktop
A web desktop or webtop is a desktop environment embedded in a web browser or similar client application. A webtop integrates web applications, web services, client–server applications, application servers, and applications on the local client into a desktop environment using the desktop metaphor...
written in JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
using Ajax
Ajax (programming)
Ajax is a group of interrelated web development methods used on the client-side to create asynchronous web applications...
. It is a windows-based desktop environment
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment commonly refers to a style of graphical user interface derived from the desktop metaphor that is seen on most modern personal computers. These GUIs help the user in easily accessing, configuring, and modifying many important and frequently accessed...
with open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
applications and system utilities developed upon the reBOX web application framework by iCUBE Network Solutions, an Austrian company located in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
.
About the project
OOS.cc, which is short for Online Operating System, is a web application platform that mimics the look and feel of classic desktop operating systems such as Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
or KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
. It consists of various open source applications built upon the so-called reBOX web application framework.
As applications can be executed in an integrated and parallel way, the OOS can be considered a web operating system
Web operating system
In metacomputing, WebOS and Web operating system are terms that describe network services for Internet scale distributed computing, as in the WebOS Project at UC Berkeley, and the WOS Project...
, web desktop
Web desktop
A web desktop or webtop is a desktop environment embedded in a web browser or similar client application. A webtop integrates web applications, web services, client–server applications, application servers, and applications on the local client into a desktop environment using the desktop metaphor...
or webtop. It provides basic services such as a GUI
Gui
Gui or guee is a generic term to refer to grilled dishes in Korean cuisine. These most commonly have meat or fish as their primary ingredient, but may in some cases also comprise grilled vegetables or other vegetarian ingredients. The term derives from the verb, "gupda" in Korean, which literally...
, a virtual file system
File system
A file system is a means to organize data expected to be retained after a program terminates by providing procedures to store, retrieve and update data, as well as manage the available space on the device which contain it. A file system organizes data in an efficient manner and is tuned to the...
, access control
Access control
Access control refers to exerting control over who can interact with a resource. Often but not always, this involves an authority, who does the controlling. The resource can be a given building, group of buildings, or computer-based information system...
management and possibilities to develop and deploy applications online. As the Online Operating System is executed within a web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
, it is no real operating system but rather a portal to various web applications, offering a high usability and flexibility.
The project is partly funded by grants from the Internetprivatstiftung Austria (IPA). As at 01.08.2008 almost 20.000 users have joined the oos.cc community, using the offered featured and applications.
History
The development of the web desktop was started by iCUBE Network Solutions in 2005, followed by the first beta releases in 2006. Hence, together with YouOSYouOS
YouOS was a web desktop and web integrated development environment, developed by WebShaka until June 2008.YouOS replicated the desktop environment of a modern operating system on a webpage, using JavaScript to communicate with the remote server...
and eyeOS
EyeOS
eyeOS is an open source web desktop following the cloud computing concept that seeks to enable collaboration and communication among users. It is mainly written in PHP, XML, and JavaScript. It acts as a platform for web applications written using the eyeOS Toolkit. It includes a Desktop environment...
, it can be considered to be one of the first publicly available systems of its kind. The first full version including core-level multi-language support, the file system and a basic set of applications was released to the public in March 2007 on the occasion of a national exhibition (ITnT Austria) and has left beta state half a year later in October 2007. The first release considered stable (1.0.0) was published in July 2007. The project itself and the contained applications have received several national innovation awards (see ,
) and have gained attention mainly due to the comprehensive approach taken (see ,,).
OOS.cc started as a national project. The full platform including all offered applications are currently available in three languages (German, English as well as Spanish) and is receiving increasing coverage around the world (for examples see ,,,, or ).
The current version is 1.3.01 from 01.08.2008.
Technical Overview
The project is fully written in JavascriptJavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
, exclusively using DHTML techniques to run in any web browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
without any additional software installation needed. The system implements a modern kind of web application model , excessively using Ajax
Ajax (programming)
Ajax is a group of interrelated web development methods used on the client-side to create asynchronous web applications...
for communicating between client components and the Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
server backend in an exclusively asynchronous manner. Aim is to offer users the unique interaction behavior following the desktop metaphor
Desktop metaphor
The desktop metaphor is an interface metaphor which is a set of unifying concepts used by graphical user interfaces to help users more easily interact with the computer. The desktop metaphor treats the monitor of a computer as if it is the user's desktop, upon which objects such as documents and...
, which is the main idea of any web desktop
Web desktop
A web desktop or webtop is a desktop environment embedded in a web browser or similar client application. A webtop integrates web applications, web services, client–server applications, application servers, and applications on the local client into a desktop environment using the desktop metaphor...
.
Also typical for this sort of web application is the broadly use of Javascript-on-demand techniques, cutting the complete project source into pieces and loading them instantly when needed.
Based on this technical basis, reBOX is the framework library all applications in oos.cc are built of. It is a fully flexible and extensible API, including a GUI widget set, communication mechanisms and server services offering general and framework specific services.
The Online Operating System itself consists of a basic framework, which is able to launch any JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
application using the reBOX library.
The user interface is based on the behavior of the windows desktop with a start menu, a task bar and a desktop background. All applications are running in this environment. At server side, there are Java
Java (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
based web services running to serve the client processes and to provide data from the relational database
Relational database
A relational database is a database that conforms to relational model theory. The software used in a relational database is called a relational database management system . Colloquial use of the term "relational database" may refer to the RDBMS software, or the relational database itself...
in the backend.
oos.cc also provides an integrated development environment called Developer Suite, which allows the community to build own applications for the desktop environment based on reBOX (see development section below).
License
All applications available in oos.cc are open source under the European Union Public LicenceEuropean Union Public Licence
The European Union Public Licence is a software licence that has been created and approved by the European Commission. It is a free software licence.Its first version 1.0 was approved on 9 January 2007....
(EUPL).
The reBOX development toolkit is free to use developing any applications for the webtop.
Features
As mentioned above, all applications published on oos.cc are open source based on the EUPLEuropean Union Public Licence
The European Union Public Licence is a software licence that has been created and approved by the European Commission. It is a free software licence.Its first version 1.0 was approved on 9 January 2007....
, and can be "installed" or "deinstalled" to what-ever preferences the user has.
Currently, and besides global services like the multi-language support or the global theme support, as well as some minor tools and games, oos.cc offers four major services that can be used completely free of charge.
- Integrated and fully flexible file storage (1 GBGigabyteThe gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
per user)- HTTP as well as FTPFile Transfer ProtocolFile Transfer Protocol is a standard network protocol used to transfer files from one host to another host over a TCP-based network, such as the Internet. FTP is built on a client-server architecture and utilizes separate control and data connections between the client and server...
file transfer from and to local file system - User-based file-shares within the oos-community
- WebDAVWebDAVWeb-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning is a set of methods based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol that facilitates collaboration between users in editing and managing documents and files stored on World Wide Web servers...
access - Document Management (including Version Control and File Locking mechanisms)
- HTTP as well as FTP
- Image publishing, organization and post-processing
- A free sub domain (user.oos.cc) for web- or image publishing, directly integrated in the desktop
- Groupware applications, including free mail, fetchmail and contact management
- An integrated development environment where oos-applications can be created directly from within the system (see development section below)
Next releases are planned to focus on an extensive security and privacy suite, dealing with challenges like anonymous communication (browsing as well as temporary mail-addresses) as well as offering encrypted password and file storage and connectivity services. Since it initial stable release, OOS.cc can be accessed using https
Https
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is a combination of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol with SSL/TLS protocol to provide encrypted communication and secure identification of a network web server...
to ensure secure communication.
Limitations and drawbacks
- Limited number of applications: no commercial applications can be hosted. Only reviewed applications are being published
- No processing of popular office formats (.doc, .odt, etc.)
- Limited language support: Only English, German and Spanish
- Dependence on foreign infrastructure: No possibility to extend storage, no additional/guaranteed bandwidth, etc.
Development
One of the key focuses of the team was right from the beginning to offer a very flexible and comprehensive API, that can be used to develop not only custom applications within oos.cc, but also stand-alone web-applications or to integrate single components in existing web-sites. By decoupling the development from web-related "problems" using the reBOX API web-applications can be development in a similar fashion to any JavaJava (programming language)
Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java platform. The language derives much of its syntax from C and C++ but has a simpler object model and fewer low-level facilities...
program: Elements can be positioned and can interact like in high-level object oriented programming languages, without taking care of div
Div
Div or DIV may refer to:* Division ** <div>, an HTML tag that implements a generic block-level element** division, the mathematical operation that is the inverse of multiplication...
s, browser specific behavior or communication handling. The framework also offers multi-language and theme support for existing as well as newly created applications, allowing changing almost every aspect of the look and feel of the used components according to the preferences of its users.
For taking advantage of this approach, one of the applications offered in the OOS is an integrated Development Suite, allowing directly writing and executing code and hence creating new programs within the boundaries of the Webtop. As all applications on oos.cc are released as open source, all existing programs are offered to be imported, reviewed or changed and then locally deployed. Following this idea, every user is free to submit changed or newly created applications to be included in the globally offered application set. The current release offers features like auto-completion and an outline-window.