Show HN: Sava OS – A desktop interface for your web browser

"there's ideas, then there's execution".

"there's beauty, then there's usefulness".

Sorry about the flak OP but it's better you hear these comments now than when money's on the line.

This will definitely be implemented, in fact we mention it on the website as the next major feature. We would also like to support NAS & FTP as well, but most likely start with the major cloud providers.

I'm not sure why you got so many negative replies. As some other commenter pointed out, it can be a good use case for reusable, copyable desktops. Another use case I though about for some time - if we build an OS (a "traditional one") that consists of just a browser and only necessary stuff for running a browser, your product would be a great fit as well

I ask for nothing else other than honesty. And I thank you for speaking so bluntly about your thoughts.

At this point I think you're right, it is indeed a toy and a demo of my hard work. But it's also available for others to try it, and hopefully together we can turn it into something substantial.

I have had a go at building one of these.

https://fingswotidun.com/images/notanos_4.png

It was predominantly designed to be as dumb a server as possible and do everything client side. It implemented a basic file IO interface so you can write files and get directory listings.

Anything fancy client side could be leveraged by the ability to execute commands on the server and providing a local named socket for commands to connect to to establish a websocket connection to the client. The core server then plays no further part and it's up to the executed command to send a message to open a window and provide the html/js for the content which will handle all future websocket messages for that window. Essentially all windowed apps with a complex server side component are free to implement their own protocol.

That simple architecture allowed me to construct some nice interactions https://fingswotidun.com/images/notanos_drag_drop.gif

I didn't think it could be a commercial product though. I appreciate that being a 'Product' might afford one the resources to develop such a thing more fully, but then it is just another thing to buy.

I fundamentally believe that things like this have to be free and open source to be viable long term. Otherwise you just have an impressive dead-end like GeoWorks was, back in the day.