Web Operating System
King Saud University1
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A
BSTRACT
In this paper we describe an operating system based on the web or what is known as “WEBOS”. This specific name has started as a computing research project at an American universities then developed to be an operating system that provides basic operating systems services needed to build applications that are geographically distributed, highly available, incrementally scalable, and dynamically reconfiguring. WebOS is a computing environment running within a web browser. User can run applications (i.e. IM, word processor)from within the "desktop". It's quite similar to many Ajax based web applications on the net right now (i.e.Writely), except that this web application/service is a desktop that allow more functions to be performed inside it. One note characteristic of the webOS is the capability to connect and access to storage like local disk,USB drive or other net-based storage like FTP and such. In addition, it is accessible from anywhere with net connection. This makes webOS very mobile as people can use it everywhere. The main parts of the system are: web browser, web application, and web server. WEBOS in three categories: Remotely Hosted WebOS,Self-Hosted WebOS, and Remote Desktops.
Keywords
Web Operating System, WEBOS, Operating System, OS, Net Based Storage, FTP, asynchronous JavaScript and XML, AJAX
1.I
NTRODUCTION
WebOS started at the University of California, Berkeley in 1996 and is continuing at other Americanuniversities. It is well known that an operating system is the software component of a computer systemtcoordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer. As a host, one of the purposes of an operating system is to handle the details of the operation of the hardware. This relieves applicationprograms from having to manage these details and makes it easier to write applications. More generally,WebOS refers to a software platform that interacts with the user through a web browser and does not dependon any particular local operating system. WebOS provides basic operating systems services needed to buildapplications
Web based operating system (WebOS)
2.1
History
WebOS gained popularity in 1999, WebOS Inc. At first known as (Hyperofficeand later known asMyWebOS), was founded by Berkeley grad Shervin Pishevar andEmorygrad Drew Morris. Soonafter WebOS was launched with a vision of creating the first web operating system complete with aWebOS API allowing developers to create Windows-like web applications that worked at extremelyfast speeds by caching much of the code in the local browser.[3]
2.2 What is WEBOS?
WebOS is a computing environment running within a web browser. User can run applications (i.e. IM,word processor) from within the "desktop". It's quite similar to many Ajax based web applications onthe net right now (i.e. Writely), except that this web application/service is a desktop that allow morefunctions to be performed inside it. One note characteristic of the webOS is the capability to connectand access to storage like local disk, USB drive or other net-based storage like FTP and such. inaddition, it is accessible from anywhere with net connection. This makes webOS very mobile aspeople can use it everywhere [7].But that's not all - a WebOS should be an expandable platform (just like Windows) that givesdevelopers the right tools (IDE, APIs) to develop new applications and add new utilities. And that'sthe advantage of a Web-based "OS" - it gives you the new ability to use it remotely and not berestricted to one PC. This is a huge need in today's world, because increasingly we use more thanone computer from various different locations. So each time we sit down to a computer, a differentscene awaits us - different applications and different documents. WebOS can solve this inefficiency,by taking your productivity with you everywhere you go [8].
2.3 Main Parts of the System
The main parts of the system are: web browser, web application, and web server. The web browser (along with other browser-ish applications like Konfabulator) becomes the primary applicationinterface through which the user views content, performs services, and manages data on their localmachine and on the Web, often without even knowing the difference. Something likes Firefox, Safari,or IE. Web applications of the sort we're all familiar with: Gmail, Flickr, and Bloglines, as well asother applications that are making the Web an ever richer environment for getting stuff done. Webserver is a must, a local Web server to handle the data delivery and content display from the localmachine to the browser. This local server will likely be highly optimized for its task, but would becapable of running locally installed Web applications (e.g. a local copy of Gmail and all its associateddata.[4]
Figure 1 - [9]
2.4 Traditional VS. New Operating System
A traditional operating system manages: the interaction between hardware and software via drivers,the memory and execution of programs, the layout, retrieval, and modification of files on disk ,user management, permissions, and preferences , and a higher level functionality like networking anduser interface widgets [5].A new web operating system: this is not a comprehensive list - many operating systems do far morethan this, often blurring the distinction between OS and application .It's fair to say though, that most
operating systems do everything on this list and do it well. The common user, we would venture,hardly notices the seamless integration between application, OS, and hardware [5].
2.5 WEBOS Market Review
.A WebOS should be an expandable to develop new applications and add new utilities. And that's theadvantage of a Web-based "OS" - it gives you the new ability to use it remotely and not be restrictedto one PC. This is a huge need in today's world, because increasingly we use more than onecomputer from various different locations. So each time we sit down to a computer, a different sceneawaits us - different applications and different documents. A WebOS can take many forms. Some,like YouOS, are fully browser-based. All you need to do is browse to an address and login - just likeany browser-based web app. Other WebOS systems require you to download and install a smallapplication, namely a client that communicates with the WebOS servers - usually from anotherprotocol than the standard HTTP, to bring some extra advantages into the game.WEBOS in three categories: Remotely Hosted WebOS, Self-Hosted WebOS, and Remote Desktops.Under the remotely hosted we can find systems such as :• eyeOS - Beautiful webtop powered by the eyeOS software.
Figure 2 - pan aduman republic
• G.ho.st - With 3GB of space, FTP access, and Zoho Office support, what’s not to like?• goowy - Great webtop with your own email account (@goowy.com), IM, 1GB of space (viaBox.net), and much more.• jooce - Slick invite-only online OS.• mybooo - Invite-only webtop with a ton of features.• myGoya - Nice WebOS with PIM features, a media player, and much more.• OOS - Basic online operating system that offers a personal webpage.[2]Under the Self hosted we can find systems such as:
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WEBOS
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