eXtern OS
eXtern OS
Uncertain if this qualifies as news; could fit better in a general update. I've been developing an operating system for some time, and at the end of last year I launched the initial Beta after a colleague encouraged me to do so (though I hadn't intended for it to be released publicly, mostly a personal endeavor). Honestly, the concept is quite divisive, so the first Beta aimed to gauge interest and determine if there was enough demand to move toward a public version. In short, I gained sufficient traction and have now refined a fully functional release (Beta 2), with plans to announce it soon. The debate centers on its design—being Linux-based yet powered by Node.js—and its unique approach. It began as an experiment to learn both Node.js and Linux intricacies. Eventually, I saw its potential and kept developing it; you can view a live demo of Beta 2 here! I recognize the technology behind it may not excite many initially, which was intentional. Before anyone asks, here are a few clarifications: the release code will be compiled into native binaries (Node.js), while the front-end components—such as apps, desktop interfaces, and the music player—are built differently. I've also attached some screenshots from my testing. I suspect this community might have individuals seeking something like this. So I realized I could embed images directly here! The file manager, music player, artist view, music player playback, online library, web browser, and personal assistant are all part of it. This should cover the main points. Feel free to check out the video link above—I'm excited to share more about it!
I noticed this post on Reddit—it's an interesting project, but I’m not sure if a JavaScript desktop version would be the best fit.
Could turn into a TV interface mode too—looks like it might be something you could integrate, hehe!
So let me clarify—are you the main developer behind the desktop, or are you just supporting it? I really like those glass and Gaussian blur backgrounds, as well as the macOS X themes; they fit perfectly with the ideal desktop look I see. The main concerns are performance and resource consumption. CSS/HTML combined with noje.js isn’t known for speed and tends to be quite heavy, especially compared to GC-optimized solutions. I’m worried about how it handles responsiveness when running multiple tasks at once. Although I’m not a Node.js expert, if efficient C/C++ libraries can be integrated from Node.js, using Node.js for the GUI and lightweight background tools might work well together. I’d like to test this out if it’s actually developed as a beta product, not just a presentation.
When it launched, things were really bad. The design was terrible, the performance was poor, and the app constantly tracked your activity. I looked into it a couple of weeks back and the feedback remains negative.