The web operating system is different things to different people. Until now, the use of the term has been much freer than is good for the sake of clarity and preciseness. For some people, a web operating system is merely an interface between a human user and web applications and services. This interface is an integrated collection of web applications and services- that is, each application concerned can be accessed through WebOS. Other people insist that a WebOS should have an interface that lets the end-user pick, make, and discard applications at will. Some would agree, but only if it can save user settings for various users of the same system.
Some believe WebOS is indeed an interface for applications but should be run from a remote server. On the other hand, some believe that an interface for web applications installed and found on the client computer is still WebOS; as long as it supports and provides convenient access through web applications, it can qualify as WebOS.
Finally, some believe a web operating system should be more than just an interface but an active manager of its support applications and processes. It should prioritize applications and set parameters for loading and running these applications to optimize speed, performance, and stability. In a nutshell, a WebOS must have control over the web applications to which it provides access – just like a traditional operating system like Windows has ultimate control over the whole environment where the applications it supports are run.
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Web Operating System: The Closer to Traditional OS, the Better
In the traditional sense of the term, an operating system is software that manages the operation of a device (e.g., a computer). It is responsible for booting up procedures as it is for controlling and managing the computing environment. It sets the protocol for accessing files, installing programs, running applications, allocating computer resources, including memory, overseeing system security, and more. Aside from managing computer functions, traditional operating systems also have a location in common. Specifically, a conventional OS like Windows and Mac OS is installed on the end user’s computer.
A web operating system does the same things that a traditional OS does. It manages the environment where applications are run and loaded, provides a method of access, minimizes conflict among applications, maximizes the use of resources, and does other traditional OS functions.
However, WebOS is remotely available or available through the internet. This makes it independent of the local computer or device through which it is being accessed. You can access media files from your computer even if your computer’s operating system has no media player support since you’ll be using the WebOS instead of the computer OS.
Note that the operating system and the applications that it supports are located on a remote server in a WebOS setup. The whole system (both the operating system and applications) is accessible through an internet browser or via a plug-in/utility installed on the client’s computer.
Because a WebOS, for all its advanced features, actually doesn’t have boot-up capabilities and hardware control, some people have come to dub it the web-based desktop. It is simply like a computer desktop that provides a platform through which you can store files, manage/run various applications, and save your preferred settings with one difference: the whole system is virtual and web-based so that it can be accessed only through the internet.
How a WebOS Works
There are a lot of web operating systems online. One is eyeOS, freely available to anyone who registers and becomes a member. To access the eyeOS desktop, you should go to the eyes user interface URL, then log in with your username and password to get immediate access to a virtual desktop with file storage, IM, text editing capabilities, and other eyeOS-compatible applications. It works pretty much like your computer desktop – except you will be using different applications (in eyeOS, the email program is my email, whereas, in a Windows-based computer, the email utility is MS Outlook). You will not use your computer resources for file storage because all your files, programs, and settings shall be stored at the remote server.
The WebOS Advantage
The main advantage of WebOS is that your files, applications, and whatever you’re working on through your virtual desktop can be accessed through any type of Internet-capable device. Thus, you can log on to your virtual desktop using a computer (old or new) or a handheld device without compatibility issues. Another chief advantage is remote access; that is to say, you can access your files, settings, and applications wherever you are and whatever device or computer is available. You also don’t tie up your computer resources since everything is on a remote server.
The development of applications that run on the various web operating systems – especially the open-source ones – can be expected to continue and even speed up through the coming years. When this happens, you can expect the benefits of having a full suite of applications available wherever and whenever and using whatever gadget is conveniently accessible.
