Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

savaos.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

91–99 of 99 posts

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

#91

Post by mikelevins »

notamy wrote: post #8

I struggle to understand the use-case. What does this actually offer me over just using a normal web browser with maybe a customised new tab page? I made an account with a throwaway email to play around with it, and I honestly didn't understand why I'd want to use this over whatever workflow I have now.

For decades I've wanted a ubiquitous computing system. A couple of times I've thought that I was getting close, but no; those mirages disappeared. Maybe something in this vein could do the job eventually. If it has to depend on the ramshackle mess that is the web tech stack, so be it.

I use a lot of devices. There are 13 of them within arm's reach at the moment. I want a working environment where my "personal computer" is virtual, and it runs on whatever device I happen to be messing with, and it gives me my own personal workspace with access to my own personal stuff, without concern for which specific device I happen to be touching at the moment. Every property of computing that falls short of that is just a gratuitous obstacle to getting my work done.

The first time I thought I was approaching that kind of computing was 32 years ago. I was working on an experimental device with an experimental operating system at Apple. It didn't work out.

The second time I got closer. I was working at NeXT. I could go into any office on the NeXT campus (or into my home) and sit down to a NeXT machine and log into my personal workspace with access to all of my stuff configured the way I preferred it.

But then NeXT merged with Apple and the OS turned into the current macOS, which doesn't offer the same kind of ubiquitous computing experience at all. If anything, simple things like its ability to share files with a mixed network seems to be going backward.

So I reiterate: maybe something like this toy could eventually turn into the computing workspace I actually want, and if it has to use the web stack to do it, so be it.

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

#92

Post by notamy »

mikelevins wrote: post #91
notamy wrote: post #8

I struggle to understand the use-case. What does this actually offer me over just using a normal web browser with maybe a customised new tab page? I made an account with a throwaway email to play around with it, and I honestly didn't understand why I'd want to use this over whatever workflow I have now.

For decades I've wanted a ubiquitous computing system. A couple of times I've thought that I was getting close, but no; those mirages disappeared. Maybe something in this vein could do the job eventually. If it has to depend on the ramshackle mess that is the web tech stack, so be it. I use a lot of devices. There are 13 of them within arm's reach at the moment. I want a working environment where my "personal compute…

> I want a working environment where my "personal computer" is virtual, and it runs on whatever device I happen to be messing with, and it gives me my own personal workspace with access to my own personal stuff, without concern for which specific device I happen to be touching at the moment. Every property of computing that falls short of that is just a gratuitous obstacle to getting my work done.

Okay, I can see it with this! This actually sounds a good bit like something I've been wanting to figure out setting up for myself, the struggle is that the data sync for ex. offline periods would be rough.

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

#93

Post by subjectsigma »

I think it looks really clean and polished but I just don’t see what value it provides. I can already do all this stuff with normal web or desktop apps. The UI also looks quite cumbersome, you’re literally managing a set of tabs inside a window manager inside a tab inside a window inside a window manager. And for what?

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

#94

Post by ozozozd »

owenfar wrote: post #58
Zhyl wrote: post #50

Why is it called Sava OS when it isn't an operating system. Shouldn't it be Sava DE or something?

Technically, you can say that an OS is a term for managing complexity. We're managing the complexity that comes with the modern age of the internet & the web platform. At this stage, I agree it might sound like an overstatement, but it's aligned with our vision and where we eventually want to take it.

Technically, you can’t redefine what an OS is just because you want to call your app an OS.

Sorry but you have made a lot of bold statements about encryption etc. but this one I found extremely irksome.

There is a whole CS course called Operating Systems. I believe what you are showing HN is a software product, built with programming languages that are products of the discipline Computer Science, which defines what an OS is. Not you.

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

#96

Post by owenfar »

neilalexander wrote: post #89
owenfar wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically, you can say that an OS is a term for managing complexity. We're managing the complexity that comes with the modern age of the internet & the web platform. At this stage, I agree it might sound like an overstatement, but it's aligned with our vision and where we eventually want to take it.

What isn't clear is how you believe this manages complexity. What does it actually do that my browser and desktop aren't already doing for me? As with all of these "desktop in a browser" demos, it looks and feels fun for a couple minutes, but there's no story-telling here as to why I'd actually want to commit to using it instead of the tried-and-tested tools that are native, accessible and already right there.

I understand your point. It's still early stages and I expected these kind of comments honestly, because I myself saw a lot of these "desktop in a browser" demos that ultimately had no use to me whatsoever.

I believe our approach is very different though, and as time goes by hopefully it'll become even more useful to even more people.

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

#97

Post by owenfar »

ozozozd wrote: post #94
owenfar wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Technically, you can say that an OS is a term for managing complexity. We're managing the complexity that comes with the modern age of the internet & the web platform. At this stage, I agree it might sound like an overstatement, but it's aligned with our vision and where we eventually want to take it.

Technically, you can’t redefine what an OS is just because you want to call your app an OS. Sorry but you have made a lot of bold statements about encryption etc. but this one I found extremely irksome. There is a whole CS course called Operating Systems. I believe what you are showing HN is a software product, built with programming languages that are products of the discipline Computer Science, which defines what a…

I studied Operating Systems in my CS studies for two years, so I’m quite familiar with the methodologies and the strict definitions that define a traditional OS. I’m not trying to redefine what an OS is in the academic sense. My intent is more about using the term as a metaphor to communicate what our product does—similar to how many technical terms are borrowed from the physical world.

You’re right that there’s a whole CS course on OS, and I respect that. But I believe it’s also okay to extend the concept in a practical way to help users understand what this product aims to offer, especially in today’s interconnected landscape.

It’s also good to note again that we're still at the early stages of this project. Hopefully by time the name makes more sense, or we might even change it entirely!

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

#98

Post by owenfar »

slotrans wrote: post #87

I am plausibly a person this is for. Right now I rely on TabsOutliner when using Chrome (which I only use for work). It lets me keep 400+ tabs open and stay sane. I like it so much that I've paid for it 3 times, and would have paid a 4th time but it seems you can't anymore, and I fear it's abandoned. In any case, this is how I work. I use browser tabs as a kind of short- to medium-term memory. I open a bunch of thing…

I completely understand what you mean regarding Firefox. While everything already works fine there, the extension isn’t available yet. We had to make a decision regarding the tab management feature (tab grouping), which posed some challenges for Firefox.

That said, Firefox extension support is on the way! Even if we start with a stripped-down version focused on 'bookmarking' for now. We can’t be a privacy-centric company without supporting Firefox, that’s for sure.

Post reply on HN