Pure JavaScript Unix-Like Web Based OS

slummy writes " JS/UIX 'is an UNIX-like OS for standard web-browsers, written entirely in JavaScript (no plug-ins used). It comprises a virtual machine, shell, virtual file-system, process-management, and brings its own terminal with screen- and keyboard-mapping.' If only you didn't need an OS to run the web browser on."

Comments

So its true!

[kevin_conaway]

People DO read the comments on Slashdot

Re:So its true!

[autocracy]

It was a fluke. None of us are reading your post. You didn't see anything...

Next up

[tqft]

From TFA:
"The only application for now is a simple implementation of vi"

How long before emacs is ported?

Re:Next up

[Ingolfke]

Wow, that boggles the mind. A web-based OS running an editor-based OS. Holy virtualization Batman!

Uses?

[AKAImBatman]

That's kind of neat, but I am having some difficulty in deciding what it's useful for. Perhaps teaching Unix to new users? It is, after all, a "fake" environment that looks like the real thing.

Related to this (but much cooler), there used to be a site at WebOS.com where the site lauched a full-screen browser window and allowed you to interact with an entirely HTML desktop. Even the applications were downloaded on the fly, and the files were saved on the server.

Re:Uses?

[AnObfuscator]

Usefull? Usefull??!! Dude, it's a Unix OS written in JavaScript that runs on a web browser... the nerdiness is off the charts! Who cares about usefull?!

Re:Uses?

[rjamestaylor]

If your browser is sufficiently tabbed you can run multiple sessions and create a Beowolf Cluster from them -- BeoFox? Beafari?

Re:Uses?

[compass46]

Screwed up the link, for SDF. Here

Re:Uses?

[kin_korn_karn]

It's a geek-penis compensation device.

Re:Uses?

[Goaway]

Related to this (but much cooler), there used to be a site at WebOS.com where the site lauched a full-screen browser window and allowed you to interact with an entirely HTML desktop. Even the applications were downloaded on the fly, and the files were saved on the server.

Shameless plug: I've made something similar here: http://wakaba.c3.cx/desktop-test/desktop.pl
Log in as test:test. It's fairly useful for doing management of a web server. Try not to Slashdot it too badly, OK?

Mor information here: http://wakaba.c3.cx/sup/kareha.pl/1116806324

Re:Uses?

[kevcol]

"Putty is great, but if your employer won't allow SSH through the firewall"

Of course, you are speaking about those employers who lock their employees in a building 24/7 and never let them go home to study or do other things on their own, right?

Re:Uses?

[DrSkwid]

Corkscrew is a tool for tunneling SSH through HTTP proxies.

those crazy firewall admins and their rules !

Re:Uses?

[AKAImBatman]

Just so you're aware, this only emulates the Unix shell, not the entire Unix OS. So you can see a file system in memory, run vi, cat, ls, etc, but you can't actually interact with any environments.

The MirrorDot mirror is here so that you can try for yourself. :-)

Especially...

[nmoog]

..Especially when combined with XUL
(apologies to slashdot member CTho9305)

Compiler

[derphilipp]

Is there already a customized gcc or other c-compiler available?

I wanna run doom on it!

Obligatory

[Deep Fried Geekboy]

I for one welcome our new web-based OS overlor... oh, shit, look at that, it's slashdotted.

PS You do know that in Soviet Russia, your browser runs your OS, right?

Screenshot

[md81544]

Dead already, but I managed to grab a screenshot:

[guest@www.masswerk.at:2]$

:-)

fake DOS...

[wirehead78]

I remember back in the day I wrote a BASIC program that looked exactly like DOS, except it would give weird error messages any time you did anything. My parents sure loved that one.

Re:fake DOS...

[rayde]

did you call your creation MS-DOS?

;-)

Re:fake DOS...

[fons]

haha, downloaded and tried it.

It still works on my XP machine!

I was even worried for an instant when it was supposedly formatting my hard d^i^c^kz^z^z^^z^z^f^^ s^d^f^zêf^zê^f^sd^f s^df ^sd^f ^sd^f^s^df^s s^df ^sd^f^s^df^s^df^^s^sd^f^sd^f^^sd^f ^^sdf^^sd^f

Re:fake DOS...

[the way, what're you]

I was even worried for an instant when it was supposedly formatting my hard d^i^c^kz^z^z^^z^z^f^^ s^d^f^zêf^zê^f^sd^f s^df ^sd^f ^sd^f^s^df^s s^df ^sd^f^s^df^s^df^^s^sd^f^sd^f^^sd^f ^^sdf^^sd^f

for those of you keeping score at home, that's (zf-c)(sd+2k-i)(f-x)(1-ê)^3, with len(d^i^c^kz) = 0

Re:fake DOS...

[PakProtector]

You wanna hear a really fucked up story?

Okay. It's 1993. I think. I was somewhere between 8 and 10, so maybe it was '94. Anyway, it's not important.

I was learning to program at the time, and my uncle who is four years older than me decided that since I was a rather dull child, with wit as sharp as a rubber ball, I should start with QBASIC.

So I created a grand program: A DOS Shell. It would let you look around, cd, all that fancy stuff. I added colours.

It was all good.

So, anyway, I didn't really have a good concept of exactly what an OS was, and I decided I'd written one, so, (this was back in the day you understand, and my parents really weren't too computer savvy) I got on their AOL account and uploaded it to AOL's file center, billing it as a revolutionary new operation system called DHDMP. I think. That or DHCMP. I forget.

The instructions went something along the lines of, STEP 1: Uninstall DOS.

You get the picture.

Well, after around 9 thousand downloads, my parent's AOL account was canceled.

I'd like to think I did a great deal of good via those 9 thousand downloads.

Re:fake DOS...

[Mr. Underbridge]

10 in 94? Holy crap. Congratulations on making many of us feel old.

Maybe that's hex. I'm 1A years old.

crap ..

[macaulay805]

Does this mean that Boot Managers need to be Acid2 Certified as well??!!?

If this becomes too successful...

[AtariAmarok]

If this becomes to successful, we might get lawsuits in the future to prevent a browser company from shipping a free OS add-in!

Site slashdotted

[Underholdning]

The site is already dead, so here's something else - not a complete OS, but still has a (working) browser, games etc.

Yes, but . . .

[Idou]

Can it run Lynx?

If you cant reach because of the /....

[sandstorming]

JS/UIX is an UN*X-like OS for standard web-browsers, written entirely in JavaScript (no plug-ins used). It comprises a vir- tual machine, shell, virtual file-system, process-management, and brings its own terminal with screen- and keyboard-mapping.

For an overview of implemented commands have a look at the complete > JS/UIX-Manual-Pages; see also the > Version-History.

The keyboard accepts the US-ASCII character set. As key-mapping depends from your browser, you may have to use the cursor and backspace buttons at the lower right of the terminal. A complete keyboard can be accessed at the lower left.

Compatibility: Netscape 4+, MS IE 4+ and DOM-aware browsers.


Mirrordot link:
http://mirrordot.org/stories/1c1bf041ca7144dbe4b35 249a8db7dff/index.html

unnecessary...

[rayde]

I've already got my browser based OS of choice. ;-)

Why is this in the Java topic?

[Tim C]

For the nth time, Java and Javascript have nothing at all to do with each other. The syntax is similar (both being based loosely on C), but that's it.

It might as well go in the Hardware topic too, while you're at it - after all, it must be running on some kind of hardware.

Re:Why is this in the Java topic?

[Anonymous Coward]

For the nth time, Java and Javascript have nothing at all to do with each other. The syntax is similar (both being based loosely on C), but that's it.

Why do you call yourself Tim C? For the nth time you were not written in C, you are composed of DNA and a bunch of other chemicals. The syntax is similar (both being based on a series of instructions), but that's it.

You might as well call yourself Tim x86 Assembly - after all, there's some underlying atomic arrangement to your cell structure.

Re:Why is this in the Java topic?

[allanc]

That's a stupid way to pick a username.

--AC

Re:Why is this in the Java topic?

[Jeff DeMaagd]

I would throw the blame in the direction of the person/group that called it javascript rather than come up with a better name for it.

Likewise, I think that Intel should have done better to name their new card format other than PCIe because PCI-X was available for a few years already. At least PCI-X is electrically, physically and software compatible with the PCI standards, PCIe isn't on any of these accounts.

Re:Why is this in the Java topic?

[Tim C]

I would throw the blame in the direction of the person/group that called it javascript rather than come up with a better name for it.

That would be Netscape. The actual standard is called ECMAScript, but the JavaScript name has stuck.

Re:Why is this in the Java topic?

[cant_get_a_good_nick]

LiveScript was the first name, then Netscape called it JavaScript. ECMAScript came WAY later after MS came out with JScript, and they wanted to standardize the language, so they submitted it to ECMA. They obviously couldn't come up with a real name either, IIRC that was an interim name but no one could come up with a better one so it stuck.

Re:Why is this in the Java topic?

[MoonFog]

Oh?

The change of name from LiveScript to JavaScript happened at roughly the time that Netscape was including support for Java technology in its Netscape Navigator web browser. The choice of name proved to be a source of much confusion. There is no real relation between Java and JavaScript; their similarities are mostly in syntax (that is, both derived from C); their semantics are quite different, notably their object models are unrelated and largely incompatible.
Source. You have any links on the contrary?

Re:Why is this in the Java topic?

[Darth_Burrito]

DNA is more like machine code. He could still have been written in C and compiled to DNA. Personally, I suspect perl is involved somewhere.

Mirror

[b0lt]

Mirror here
The terminal works, just without pictures for the buttons.

Webserver?

[generic]

So can I write a webserver for it and use my browser to serve webpages and look at them!

I am tempted to check it out.

Finally we can put together...

[ratta]

the ease of use of Unix with the security of Internet Explorer.

SSH client?

[ahg]

An in browser SSH client in Java has been done before... but I would love one in Javascript, no extra components to install in the browser.

Re:SSH client?

[Jerf]

An absolutely pure, portable, cross-platform Javascript SSH client is currently not possible. Javascript does not have a "socket" primitive. It only has XMLHttpRequest, which can only connect to webservers via HTTP, which is page-based protocol and you can't emulate a socket that way, either.

Of course you can build an SSH-like thing that has a server component, but that's been possible for a while. (It's not easy emulating a term, and it'd be latent as all hell, but that's what you get.)

You can hack and hack and hack, but without server support you just can't get past the fact you don't have a real socket connection in Javascript.

I added all those adjectives at the beginning because if you're willing to write and install a Mozilla XPCOM control or ActiveX or something that exposes a socket you can do it. But that is, presumably, not what you meant since you mentioned not needing to install components.

Re:SSH client?

[Jerf]

Why not use https?

Learn what sockets are. Learn (It extends past a single slashdot message.) Learn SSH uses them.

Then compare with the https protocol.

Doesn't matter how clever you get; an https connection isn't an ssh connection; you've already lost before any of your JS program's input has made it onto the wire (encrypted or otherwise).

Re:SSH client?

[Kent Recal]

Well, actually you can get quite far with polling.
As you said, latency will be hell (e.g. 2 sec), but the UNIX CLI deals surprisingly well with high latency links.

Back in the day it was quite common to do stuff over 300bps links with high latency (probably rarely up to 2s but in the ballpark).

So, first of all you'll decouple Input and Output.
Instead of sending a char, waiting until the server echos it and printing it you will print the typed chars immediately and probably send the whole line on each poll (these few bytes are dwarfed by http protocol overhead anyways) so the server doesn't even need to "assemble" the line but just gets the whole thing everytime.

This will basically give you "local" feel on the CLI and latency only kicks in when you actually need the server response (e.g. cycling through the history or firing the command).

For interactive things (think: editor) it gets a bit more difficult since you actually depend on the editor telling you where to put the cursor etc.
Even for that stuff there are plenty ways to optimize cuz, as said, people have been tackling the "slow-link" problem very exhaustingly a long time ago.

Well, why anyone would want to spend all that effort when they can just use SSH is beyond me, tho... ;-)

Uh oh...

[spiritraveller]

Hopefully they had good procedures for ensuring that none of SCO's javascript got in there.

I Know!!!

[eno2001]

Let's build a kernel around the Gecko engine!!! Boot into Firefox on a framebuffer!!!! The ultimate intarweb terminal! In the process we accomplisht the following:

1. No more monolithic Linux kernel or proprietary Windows kernel!
2. No more mach kernel because they're slow dontchaknow
3. We get rid of X Windows and replace it with Gecko, Javascript, CSS and Mozilla chromes
4. No more clunky X Windows network transparency because nobody uses it anyways. Now all graphic connections will happen in memory instead of going out over the network to the router and back in to the machine they went out of!
5. No more ability to run servers (because only crackers and pirates do that)
6. Google searches become embedded in teh OS like Microsoft plans to do in Pot Noodle Hornlong!
7. A driving instructor somewhere in Johanessberg gets his job back mate!

Man am I thirsty! ;P

Right?

[RasendeRutje]

So need need another operating system
to run aan browser
to run javascript
to run this new operating system?
This must be useful!

Better than localhost!

[mogmismo]

This beats the sending the cracker to 127.0.0.1. Now we can just honeypot them inside their browsers! M.

Re:No comments and site dead.

[Waltre]

since the google cache site has been slashdotted, we now need a cache of the google cache page.

Lemmings!

[Butterspoon]

For another really cool example of what you can do with JavaScript, click here.

oh dear god...

[Philodoxx]

Finally, the efficiency of javascript, the user friendliness of unix, and the uncompromising speed of a web based application all in one package.

Irony

[AgentSlash]

Hmm. Ironically, your post sounds an aweful lot like a "I'm not clever or imaginive enough to come up with my own innovations so I'll just ridicule someone else who is." compensation device...

Some actual value here...

[AgentSlash]

Ok, I think it accomplishes at least a few useful things:

1. Corroborates the recent AJAX fad: establishes a very flashy metric illustrating some degree of robustness of JavaScript. If you can do an OS, you must be able to do some reasonably serious client apps, right? It's PR for "thick client" development which I happen to think we need more of and M$ thinks we need none of.
2. Might spark a lightbulb in someone's head that web-browser-side application development frameworks might be handy. (I kinda like command-line interfaces and now we can have them in web pages ;) ) Anyway, someone might try making a browser-side application development system that is easier to use than Java-Script for example.
3. Perhaps obliquely encourages the development of more refined user interfaces in web applications.

A lot of people apparently don't realize that web apps can be much more than just form submissions. This little stunt helps drive home just how powerful web apps can really be. All those middle-managers who aren't actually developers will perhaps start approving the development of more sophisticated user interfaces in web apps once they see how robust the browser environment can really be.

Java applets should have enabled this movement a long time ago, but at least people are getting a clue now.

i crashed it

[Anonymous Coward]

Awesome, i crashed it with a shell command that once caused a kernel panic in mac os x:

[ted@mirrordot.org:2]$ mkdir foo
[ted@mirrordot.org:2]$ cd foo
[ted@mirrordot.org:2]$ mkdir foo
[ted@mirrordot.org:2]$ mv foo ..

it just died!

Re:i crashed it

[pluggo]

Heh... I took a cursory look at the source code, and I thought it had permissions...

[guest]$ ls -l ls
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root wheel bin/n.a. 2005/06/16 22:09:14 ls
[guest]$ rm ls
[guest]$ ls
command not found: "ls"
[guest]$

It won't allow deletion of /etc/passwd, however... some kind of hardwired check I wonder?

Whatever the case may be, it's still a very cool toy to play with. What I think would be a cool next step is to use AJAX and actually store data on the server... maybe I'll hack on it a little myself. Not that I could redistribute it... (the header of the sources says all rights reserved, copyright, blahblahblah...) but it might be fun.