YouOS

[protokatie]

Came across an interesting thing tonight: YouOS. A portable OS that "runs" in a web browser. All of your apps and data are available by logging in, the whole thing runs using JavaScript and looks a lot like earlier GUI OS's (MAC, Workbench, etc). I am even writing this post in the web browser that I ran from YouOS while running it in my firefox browser... 

Are we finally getting to see the web as an actual platform for software? With YouOS they have like 700+ apps available, and of course none of them have to be downloaded or installed... Although it isnt perfect, I must say I am rather impressed with how well YouOS is dealt with, and the fact that I could view videos in it without using as much CPU time as a regular firefox media player stream would use under vista...

(BTW, when I say apps dont have to be downloaded, I mean they do download, but using the server as though it were a hard drive. IE not clicking on a "download now" type thing, they just start up after the app has been transfered after clicking it...)

[AtomSmasher]

That is pretty cool.  Reminds me of how the IBM Chairman once said the world will only need 5 computers.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

Wow. I'm posting from Bitty Browser, from inside YouOS, from inside Firefox...(weird thing is, I didn't have to log into BYOAC). How'd it know my login? 

This is freakin' me out maaaaaaaan.... 

[ChadTower]

How'd it know my login? 

Must have access to your local session cookies.  That's the only way.

[shardian]

I bet that is super secure. 

[ChadTower]

If it has access to your local session cookies, any saved user/pass combos are in danger.  Saved credit cards?  Any site you log into with a social security number?  Oops.  I'm not going in for that reason - but depending on what classes it may be installing, or god forbid it convince people to install activex controls, it could get access to your whole OS.

[jfunk]

Eh, it seems plenty secure.  It doesn't install any activex or anything.  It's YOUR browser that has the session cookie access, not the mini browser.  All that mini browser is is an iframe containing the site you entered surrounded by some fancy graphics.

The whole thing is just javascript/dhtml/ajax, right?  Pretty slick, too.  Wonder when Google's gonna buy them?

Disclaimer:  This is just my casual perusal of the thing.  I have no knowledge of its inner workings 

[ChadTower]

It's YOUR browser that has the session cookie access, not the mini browser. 

And their app recognized BYOAC's local cookie, passing it through itself into the BYOAC session inside the minibrowser.

[ark_ader]

Use Virtual PC to minimise any danger.

[jfunk]

It's YOUR browser that has the session cookie access, not the mini browser. 

And their app recognized BYOAC's local cookie, passing it through itself into the BYOAC session inside the minibrowser.

Not really.  It's just a fancy webpage.  The cookie doesn't pass through it.  It's just frames.  Again, from cursory inspection... 

[Havok]

Java is the sux0r...

How does it play Half Life Source?

[screaming]

Wow. I'm posting from Bitty Browser, from inside YouOS, from inside Firefox...(weird thing is, I didn't have to log into BYOAC). How'd it know my login? 

This is freakin' me out maaaaaaaan.... 

  It just opens an IFRAME and wraps a pretty border around it.  You're access BYOAC directly, not going through "youOS"

[protokatie]

Regardless it is an interesting idea. Use the WEB as a platform for apps. It wont be able to do everything, but it is useful and I hope they show their real stripes when they get beyond Alpha stage. Maybe this particular thing wont last, but I am sure we wont see the end to an "OS" that uses the web as the HD and your account name/pass as "your computer". Hell even steam uses this basic concept for playing video games (IE log into the steam network with your name/pass and you can play any game you paid for)

[Xiaou2]

 Gota say,  its a pretty stupid idea from the sound of it.

 You need as OS, A pc, and a monitor -  to get to load your mini os.  And what for?!

 As for online storage...  that pathetic too.    Why store your data in a place which will
take forever to retrieve it?   Its called a  'Laptop'.  (or partable HD,  or USB drive...etc)

 Taking away your Private PC, and putting all your data online is exactly what
big brother would love to accomplish.

 A better idea would be to write a Real OS that actually is efficient and effective...



 

[SavannahLion]

Xiaou2, it probably predates your time, but go look up terminals, main frames and thin clients. YouOS looks like it's trying to bill itself as a sort of modified semi-open source (I didn't notice the server available for download) thin client. YouOS looks like it's trying to re-introduce data independence, the true mobilization of your data and computing environment by severing the dependency on any one specific hardware.

I see the appeal of YouOS. Might even be a project worth watching. But eh, I used terminals and thin clients for years many moons ago (well... not that many, I just worked for cheap ass companies that refused to upgrade). As a user, the absolute nightmare of watching your work environment slow to an unbelievable crawl will forever haunt me. Vi......

[ChadTower]

Gota say,  its a pretty stupid idea from the sound of it.

It is actually a tremendous idea from a distributed support standpoint.  An idea that is used in many enterprise level apps by large multisite corporations all over the world.  They're not using YouOS, of course, but they are using apps like Citrix that are the same concept but done properly. 

It is not a new idea, though.  This concept has been around a long time.

[screaming]

it's only the beginning man.. it's reminiscent of the old dotcom days when people would throw stuff out there to see what sticks. This won't "stick", but the next generation of it will or maybe the next one.  You heard it here first folks.

Don't be surprised if 5-10 years from now something like this really becomes mainstream.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

and I bet it will be called "MyOS"...

[ErikRuud]

"Software as a Service" is already a reality.  GoogleDocs and SalesForce.com are two examples.  It has been heavily discussed at every Business Intelligence software conference that I have been to in the last two years.  There will be much more of it in the future.

I am not so sure about the future of "OS as a Service".

[SavannahLion]

They're not using YouOS, of course, but they are using apps like Citrix that are the same concept but done properly. 

God, I hated Citrix, especially from a user standpoint. In theory, Citrix really isn't all that bad of a concept (like YouOS) but imagine working for a company that only wanted to invest in the bare minimum to get Citrix up and running. This means repurposing a windows "server" barely powerful enough to run itself and a network topology with so many hacks that it still supports a ten year old token ring. Then proceed to watch the network slow to an absolute crawl as the Citrix users are brought online. 

And the manager who made the decision to go with Citrix still wonders why his fat PC caught on fire one day.