Xenon Web Desktop Alpha2 Released

The web desktop Xenon released version Alpha2 today. The release announcement from the website reads:

"Changes from Alpha include many security fixes (including SQL injection), the addition of the Chatroom app, Pictures app, width autoscaling, new tab launching, easier installation and various visual tweaks.

Please either use the https://web.archive.org/web/20100107134808/https://xenon.kevinghadyani.com/ (edit 2021: archived), or ddownload to your server at xenon.kevinghadyani.com/xenon_alpha2.tar.bz2 (edit 2021: not archived). Please help by submitting bugs, patches, new apps, icons, etc to xenon@dandart.co.uk. Thank you."

Xenon is a web desktop, which means that all your applications, work and settings are stored on the web. It can be run from any Internet-connected computer by browsing to the Xenon server or from your own server (in the case that you want a private instance, or want it installed into a netbook in the case where you do not have Internet connectivity). Eventually syncing support will be brought in which allows you to sync your settings and files to and from your local instance and the main server. Other features currently available include:

Audio player (featuring HTML5 Vorbis audio)
Video player (featuring HTML5 Theora video)
Picture viewer
Email (including within Xenon and outgoing email)
Blog
Chatroom (Public, open to all on the same instance)
Notes application
Friends application for social features
My Files, to upload various types of file
Wallpaper switcher

Upcoming features include:

Settings syncing and importing
A small footprint netbook/touchbook operating system to run on
Many others

To try the system out for yourself, you can try the demo (edit 2021: archived) or download the software at xenon.kevinghadyani.com/xenon_alpha2.tar.bz2 (edit 2021: not archived) to your server.

Please send patches, icons, ideas, apps, et al to xenon@dandart.co.uk

The project's website is at https://xenon.kevinghadyani.com (edit 2021: archived) or a shorter version: https://hackerlanes.com (edit 2021: archived)

Comments

No comments yet...

Post a comment:

Xenon Alpha released!

Permalink | Author: Dan Dart | Published: 2009-12-29 13:20:00.001 UTC | Tags: ajax api apps cloud css desktop fast gui html html5 javascript linux networking operating system os php social sql xenon

An alpha version of the Xenon Desktop has been released. A description of the project follows.

Xenon is a portable web or browser based desktop for netbooks and thin clients, designed to be the easiest desktop ever.

The desktop includes a new GUI stepping away from traditional menus and is optimised for touchscreen and small devices.

The system integrates social networking features and standard desktop features into one software package.

Being browser-based, it is cross platform and cross architecture. It is built on HTML5 and PHP components, and can be run on extremely low-powered machines, allowing for cheap distribution and devices.

The backend can be run online (for users to access their data everywhere), on a personal LAN server, or on a small device, so the system can work offline, or if there are concerns about cloud storage.

An API is available at xenon.kevinghadyani.com/wiki/index.php/Developing_Apps (edit 2021: page not archived), so anyone can start developing apps to distribute in Xenon's upcoming App Store.

The project's homepage is located at https://hackerlanes.com (edit 2021: archived) including the online desktop, ready for instant testing and a download of the alpha image for your server. The actual small footprint OS that will run on netbooks will come later.

We encourage contributions to the project, in the form of code (the languages currently used are (X)HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP and MySQL), art (eg icons, backgrounds, GUI concepts) or even just ideas.

To send any requests or contributions, or to join the project, please email the head developer at dan.dart@googlemail.com. Thank you!

Comments

No comments yet...

Post a comment:

Xenon Project looking for helpers!

Permalink | Author: Dan Dart | Published: 2009-10-14 14:17:00 UTC | Tags: css design hardware html internet javascript linux mysql php project software sql web windows xenon xhtml

I started a project some time ago, which is for now called "Codename: Project Xenon".

Xenon is a browser-based GUI designed to be implemented on netbooks. The difference between other netbook OSes and cloud systems is that not only can you test it online, it will also be installed on netbooks - which will update from the Web automatically, giving you updates, and ability to use it without being connected to the Internet due to a local web server instance.

It will have a very small footprint - being built on very few programs, and so will run on very low-end systems, so it will bring life to your old computers as well.

We are now looking for helpers to make this project a reality. If you are a designer or a programmer who can program using any combination of (X)HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP or MySQL, then we would like you to help us out. We are afraid pay is out of the question at the moment, until we start selling subscriptions to the web service, the budget is zero.

If you have any ideas to help the project along, then please give us feedback!

To apply, simply email: dan.dart@googlemail.com

To visit the main website of the project, click here: https://web.archive.org/web/20100107134808/http://xenon.kevinghadyani.com/ (edit 2021: archived) To try out the web based desktop for yourself, click here: Try The Desktop (edit 2021: archived partially). Please note that it is nowhere near finished at the moment. To view the SDK and programming procedures to help you, click here: Xenon SDK at xenon.kevinghadyani.com/wiki/index.php/Developing_Apps (edit 2021: not archived)

Thank you, and have a good day!

Comments

No comments yet...

Post a comment:

Linux is not ready for the mainstream

Permalink | Author: Dan Dart | Published: 2009-09-14 22:40:00 UTC | Tags: device linux new public standardisation xenon

Caught your eye?

The reason I say this is not that Linux isn't quality - of course it is. It's not that Linux isn't ready to be used by the mainstream - it is.

The problem here is that Linux doesn't want to be for the mainstream. A wide variety of developers exist, and quite a few don't wish there to be a standard. To me, a standard is what defines a product to market. But the main idea of Linux is to be free, not in the traditional cost-less sense (gratis) but in a freedom sort of way (libre). This means that people are free to do what they wish with it, and to keep it free if distributing it.

To really make it, a product should be the same on all sides, easy to use, and have a common way of working. With the ridiculous amount of desktop environments (KDE...GNOME, etc) and text editors, this standardisation idea has become a laughing stock in the face of freedom. People want different things, they work in different ways. Some will want DEB, some will want RPM. That is why there will always be a million and one different flavours of Linux. And that is why marketing Linux is always going to be difficult. Open source is all well and good (Look how well Firefox did) but only in small, controlled packages such as these. If you let rip an OS designed to be free, then freedom will come, and you will not get one marketable product.

That is why, sadly, while the individual people who use Linux may like it, but Linux is simply too free to be for the mainstream.

To try to solve this, an ongoing project to create a standard easy-to-use small whole system, primarily for new small less-powerful devices, merging the gap between your computer and the cloud is encouraging developers to come and join. It is called Xenon, and is located at https://web.archive.org/web/20100107134808/http://xenon.kevinghadyani.com/ (edit 2021: archived). And it has absolutely nothing to do with Linux.

Comments

Dan Dart (URL) said on 2009-09-15T21:10:17.69Z:

@Harley - the problem is that packaged files from one distro don't fit another. Plus one might use a different C library, and package different libraries by default, and would not be the same to use. This would slow down proprietary game/app development severely.

Harley (URL) said on 2009-09-15T15:11:57.488Z:

First of all, there is a standardized base for Linux, it's call the LSB. Second, (though not completely Linux related) you say that something as large as an OS can't have a standard "marketable" entity. Well look at Open/Net/FreeBSDs. Each is a marketable OS, and each of these OS's are quite standard. Of course, how is this really any different than saying Ubuntu is a complete and standard Linux OS, or OpenSUSE, or Fedora, or etc. While they're obviously not 100% compatible with each other, with some care, binaries (because that's what this boils down to right? Binary packages from some company that doesn't release the source. Because if the source was available it's a non-issue) can be distributed across all Linux distros. So I honestly don't see your point.