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

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

#71
post #67
post #57

Emulated desktop Operating system written in a high level language, compiled to an intermediate assembly language, run on a virtual machine written in JavaScript, executed in a javascript engine, run inside of a sandbox inside of a browser, inside of an operating system just like the proprietary one one being run at the bottom of the stack. All so you can "create text files" on a proprietary platform that won't work…

Not 100% correct, but ok, you can say that as it stands. If you inspect the IndexedDB when logged in, you can see that everything is stored locally already. Offline mode was planned from the very beginning. It will and can already work offline if I spare a couple of days on it. But I didn't see it as a priority right now.

Please do spare a couple of days on it. I think noone would really believe it until seeing it :)

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

#72
post #45

I was thinking about something like this. It would be cool if each app has a discovery service of commands so AI can manage the ecosystem automatically.

Not sure I understand what you mean about "each app has a discovery service of commands"

Something like this:

https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0030.html

That way AI can handle any arbitrary app so long as it has a public interface of discoverable commands. It will make sense of your apps and handle complex interactions between them.

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

#73
post #67
post #57

Emulated desktop Operating system written in a high level language, compiled to an intermediate assembly language, run on a virtual machine written in JavaScript, executed in a javascript engine, run inside of a sandbox inside of a browser, inside of an operating system just like the proprietary one one being run at the bottom of the stack. All so you can "create text files" on a proprietary platform that won't work…

Not 100% correct, but ok, you can say that as it stands. If you inspect the IndexedDB when logged in, you can see that everything is stored locally already. Offline mode was planned from the very beginning. It will and can already work offline if I spare a couple of days on it. But I didn't see it as a priority right now.

I'm just being snarky. Props for making something more polished than anything I've ever made.

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

#74
post #57

Emulated desktop Operating system written in a high level language, compiled to an intermediate assembly language, run on a virtual machine written in JavaScript, executed in a javascript engine, run inside of a sandbox inside of a browser, inside of an operating system just like the proprietary one one being run at the bottom of the stack. All so you can "create text files" on a proprietary platform that won't work…

I mean when you describe most modern consumer software products, they’re pretty much that bloated.

Most consumer (hard/soft/firm/wet)ware is pretty much all around bad with very few redeeming qualities these days. You can almost feel the contempt for the user built right into the design from marketing all the way to implementation.

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

#75
post #66
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a really good point and I have thought about this multiple times along the way. Web Crypto API seemed ideal, but it brought its own complexities, especially if you want to have quick access on multiple browsers/devices. It's true that as it is, it still requires trust. We do have our own custom servers, and we made sure that no logs related to personal data are ever stored, and encryption is done on the appli…

Personally, I feel like the bold statements about encryption should be removed until this is implemented to avoid misleading users. Out of curiosity, is the data encrypted with a client-provided secret (eg. a password hash, or something that would otherwise be impossible to extract from the server), or is the secret stored on the server?

I'm not sure I agree about it being a bold statement. Our description is very clear, and our approach is still much safer.

I see hundreds of products slapping "Encryption at rest" to make people believe their data is safe :) Yet, it's accessible by anyone that controls the server...

We also go further into details in the privacy page too.

The data cannot be decrypted without a client-provided secret. We'll make sure to be more transparent regarding all this.

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

#76
post #70
post #55

I have given your service a try, and while the UX was impressive, I was bothered by an apparent lack of encryption. The landing page, the privacy policy, and your mission statement all make many mentions of encryption and security, yet (besides TLS) there doesn't seem to be any encryption going on as far as my browser is concerned. I created a new folder, created a text file in the folder, and added some text to the…

That's a lot of trust for a project that is proud for having it tested with one browser, and wants to hear from you on Facebook or Discord. My trust in such a project would be quite minimal.

It was tested and should work on all browsers (though the extension is only chromium based at the moment).

But for the sake of simplicity, we placed that badge since it's the most familiar icon to the wider audience. Initially most of our visitors thought it's an OS they have to download, this helped solve some of the doubts.

I had to create Facebook just for this, because whether we like it or not, it's a huge platform that shouldn't be missed.

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

#77
post #57

Emulated desktop Operating system written in a high level language, compiled to an intermediate assembly language, run on a virtual machine written in JavaScript, executed in a javascript engine, run inside of a sandbox inside of a browser, inside of an operating system just like the proprietary one one being run at the bottom of the stack. All so you can "create text files" on a proprietary platform that won't work…

as a user, your first paragraph was just jibber jabber.

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

#78
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As it stands, that's true. However, with the continuous advancements in WebAssembly, and if we open a store where people can install open-source software, a lot of great things could come from that.

But... why not just let people install open source software as is? Stripping down the OS to "just" the browser leaves most of the OS. At that point we're arbitrarily restricting users to apps that run in the browser for no real reason or benefit.

I have not checked out any of this, but I guess the main advantage is that you can log in from anywhere, on any device that has a web browser, and have your full OS?

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

#79
This does remind me a bit of a personal knowledge management solution that has (fairly) recently gone out of beta, AnyType [0], as that too was sometimes referred to as an "operating system for the new internet" and received similarly skeptical reception. Seen them refine the concept into a more rounded project, since the closed alpha, that has been rather successful in the PKM space, though the end product never fully fit my personal use cases.

From previous projects [1] (during which I merely made some minor modifications to a pre-existing FOSS project and took a look at the code of different "web-desktops" codebases), I get how much goes on under the hood of any desktop-like interface running in JS, so seeing one that also integrates handling the tabs of the "host browser" is immensely impressive, though of course I understand those highlighting the inefficiencies such an approach can bring.

I very much appreciate the appearance, especially the subtle use of glass like transparency on window borders and the way third-parties like Soundcloud seem to be embedded.

I will have to agree with some commenters that perhaps the privacy promise should be made more clear as to what the current state is. I understand that implementation takes time, but to build trust, being as transparent as possible from the start is invaluable.

Furthermore, I see potential for this project, perhaps with a bit of tunnel vision due to me being immersed in the space, in the PKM field, as there, despite web-first applications being the norm, there is still a hole that I feel could be filled concerning making open tabs as part of an active project directly accessible and manageable, rather than needing to import web pages, then switch to the application, as is the case with most current solutions like MyMind [2]. Especially, as there must be people other than myself whose PKM does necessitate actively using roughly 100 tabs at a time...

Additionally, if I may, perhaps the potential would have become more clear to some on here if you had linked the learn section [3] in your original post. It doesn't appear accessible on the homepage either, which is a shame, because that gave me a far better idea of the project in its entirety. Especially the search implementation showcased there has potential depending on the execution and should, in my opinion, be something you highlight on the homepage too.

Lastly, I want to mention that you are doing a great job taking the occasionally a bit harsh, but generally fair reaction the HN crowd can have to showcases on the chin. That takes maturity and professionalism, especially on a passion project.

[0] https://anytype.io/

[1] https://ethical-ai.eu/

[2] https://mymind.com/

[3] https://savaos.com/learn

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

#80
post #19

Wow, difficult crowd. It reminds me of the initial Dropbox launch. Their pitch was a USB drive for the Internet, which was torn to pieces by this crowd. Then, Dropbox built a video showing how it worked, and their product went viral. Folks here, myself included, struggle to understand why we need a desktop in our browser. Your animated gifs don't show enough for someone outside of your product to 'get it'. Record a v…

Dropbox solves a problem. I'm not sure what this is other than a tech demo. If it was a toy project, sure it's cool. Trying to sell it as a product? That's a reach...
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