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SkyOS GUI Contest

Posted by timothy on from the make-it-pretty dept.

SillyClown writes "Just saw this on OSNews.com. SkyOS (an alternative OS) is having a contest to replace their user interface. There are 30 or so designs, and the polls are open for voting. Check it out, help shape the future of SkyOS!"

5 of 42 comments (clear)

  1. I actually like eye candy.... by josepha48 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    in all reality most of these desktops look much like windows / mac / or some linux desktop currently in use like blackbox or E or something. Eye candy is kinda nice cause it sortof adds an actual desk to the 'desktop'. I guess I would probably add a file drawer and inbox / outbox on the side of the desk. Also it seems like you could go on with a more 'desktop' desk like look and feel. Kinda different, but more user firendly I'd think. If done right then you would add a 'media player' that looks like a radio on the desktop and make the whole desktop look like a virtual desk. Anyway it is not something that I have seen many people do. Yes it would be costly as it would be opengl and all 3d and lots of graphics, but what else do you do with all those cpu cycles ;-).

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  2. Be Careful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Be Careful. The SkyOS leaders apparently don't understand the GPL or how it works.

    Let's just say that there will be some evidence that comes to light soon that reasonably proves they're using GPL Linux Kernel code in their kernel without providing their kernel under GPL.

    Don't believe me? Research a bit, if you know what you're doing it will become obvious very soon...

  3. The FSF takes GNU GPL violations seriously. by jbn-o · · Score: 4, Interesting

    From the parent poster's quote of the older SkyOs so-called End User License Agreement ("EULA"):

    SkyOs includes ported software that is GPL'd this means that it is open source, these binaries/drivers/libraries are widely available on the internet, and as such you should not harass SkyOs Inc. or any contributor for the Source code of these ported apps, also these GPL'd binaries/drivers/libraries do not in anyway affect the SkyOs Kernel or SkyGI and as such you have no right as a user, developer or other party to demand to view the Source Code of SkyOs.

    The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL) does not allow anyone distributing the covered software to withhold the complete corresponding source code of the program or to point somewhere else and essentially say "get it from them, not us". Perhaps Andrew Youll should spend some time reading the GNU GPL FAQ, if the license's text isn't sufficiently clear. Distributing binaries alone is insufficient for compliance with the GNU GPL. It doesn't matter if SkyOs comes with only a port of the applications or changes the software's feature set.

    Youll's EULA demonstrates Youll is trying to place more restrictive terms on GPL-covered software than the GPL allows. His EULA suggests he is quite unclear on what the GNU GPL's terms are and how to work within them. But overall, it's sad that someone who draws value from the GNU project's contribution to their own work is being dealt with in such a manner. Leveraging one's rights is never "harass[ment]". The GNU GPL does not aim to make SkyOs free software (although SkyOs would do their users a favor by making the entire operating system free). Proprietors have successfully used and distributed GCC as their main compiler for years.

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  4. Unsung heros by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    KHTML strikes again! SkyKruzer, the SkyOS browser, is yet another port of the KHTML code. The KDE developers have done an amazingly great job with KHTML. That makes four browsers using the same rendering engine (Konqueror, Safari, and ABrowse from AtheOS are the others). All because the code was so easy to understand and port. Having this hugely complex, yet easy to understand and portable body of code out there is doing wonders for alternative OSes, since a nearly perfect browser is essential for an OS these days. Thank you KHTML team!

  5. looks like a win95+cygwin repackage ... by Khopesh · · Score: 1, Interesting

    that page doesn't do much to explain what it is.
    there are screenshots of skyos running photoshop and quicktime,
    and in addition, there are icons for MS Internet Explorer, Adobe Acrobat, ICQ, and WinAMP.

    i'd really like to think that the sole developer did this all on his own.
    but it seems more likely that he hacked the hell out of win95 with help from cygwin,
    violating the gpl and ms eula
    (or perhaps linux and wine, violating just the gpl).

    please prove me wrong!
    hopefully the only violation here is the failure to release the ported code
    to all those open source projects used, and that can be rectified.
    there is no way all of those projects work seamlessly without any modification
    ...unless this is a win32 kernel.

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