Webian Shell: A full screen web browser built on Chromeless

[lovinglinux]

Sounds interesting:


If you find most of the stuff you do on your PC these days happens in a web browser then you might find that the desktop environment you used to depend on is now just getting in your way.

The idea of the Webian Shell project is to re-think your computer's interface as something much simpler which treats web applications as first class citizens and does away with all the un-necessary clutter.

http://mozillalabs.com/chromeless/2011/05/31/webian-shell-a-full-screen-web-browser-built-on-chromeless/
http://webian.org/shell/

[krapp]

Vision

Imagine a world where you can access your information anywhere from any device and any app will run on any platform.
Imagine a web server in every home and every organisation, forming part of a ubiquitous and distributed World Wide Web of applications and data.
Imagine having complete control over your own private information, sharing only what you choose, with whom you chose, and doing so with a self-expressed identity or anonymity.
This vision of a single, open, ubiquitous and de-centralised web is what drives the Webian project.
Sounds contradictory to me; how are they going to accomplish this?

Edit: by using Webian exclusively with your own web server, lol. Hardly revolutionary.

http://webian.org/blog/2010/05/30/introducing-webian/

Name is terrible, btw.

[Lucradia]

Does it replace the current shell in Windows when installed? Quitting Explorer.exe? If so, can we still hit WinKEY+R so that we can run like cmd and run our programs?

I want to do away with explorer completely, but also want to run my current desktop apps, like MMORPGs. That way, explorer.exe can't get in the way of the processing power of the MMORPG.

[NormanFLinux]

Another stripped down web browser acting as a shell to the cloud:

http://webian.org/shell/

Radically simple concept from Mozilla - your desktop replaced by a browser shell.

Its open source and the initial application needs to be built on for it to rival Google Chrome OS as a cloud desktop environment. ;)

[themarker0]

It would be a decent idea, if exicuted well. ChromeOS has some issues i don't like, maybe this could be done right.

[Dustin2128]

Hate it. What is it with mozilla and blindly following chrome wherever it goes lately?

[athenroy]

I don't know what it is with these companies, but not everyone spends every minute of computer time on the web! I write several blogs and I usually pre-write my posts in a word processor like OO or Libre office, make sure everything is right and copy and paste it into my WordPress editor. I also keep a spreadsheet budget, I'd perfer not to do on line and I do a lot of graphics work. I guess for some people it might work, but not for me.

[kerry_s]

I don't know what it is with these companies, but not everyone spends every minute of computer time on the web! I write several blogs and I usually pre-write my posts in a word processor like OO or Libre office, make sure everything is right and copy and paste it into my WordPress editor. I also keep a spreadsheet budget, I'd perfer not to do on line and I do a lot of graphics work. I guess for some people it might work, but not for me.

cause thats the way you've always done it. the new generation is doing that exact same thing, but there doing it in google docs. i was shocked to find my son doing it that way for his school homework, ever closer to that paperless world. next thing you know they'll be emailing there report cards, no more "it must have been lost in the mail". :lolflag:

[Copper Bezel]

Grades at the university level are already a digital thing, so I can't imagine primary ed would be too far behind.

I have to say that I think this project has more promise than Chrome OS. It's quite a bit prettier in that preview, as well.

Being completely dependent on cloud based apps will be more sensible when said apps and clouds are completely dependable. Of course it takes bandwidth and processing power over using native apps, and it requires getting into services, neither of which I care for. As for whether things are stored locally or in the cloud - well, I'm rather attached to the option of both.

[Thewhistlingwind]

As for whether things are stored locally or in the cloud - well, I'm rather attached to the option of both.

I highly doubt one will ever really kill the other.

So you'll probably get your wish.

[ki4jgt]

cause thats the way you've always done it. the new generation is doing that exact same thing, but there doing it in google docs. i was shocked to find my son doing it that way for his school homework, ever closer to that paperless world. next thing you know they'll be emailing there report cards, no more "it must have been lost in the mail". :lolflag:

Yeah but that's how hackers get the info, expecially on public wifi, HTTPS is such a joke when public wifi comes into play. There are so many programs which break it in a heart beat. That's why I hope you never find me doing banking and financing over the web. It's still so insecure. People get in between you and the website you're using and tell them they're you and tell you they're them. Then you send them everything that you're sending the website (their computer reads it, possibly adding or removing things) and then sends it to the site pretending to be you. With the popularity of this method (So easy a five year old could do) and taking into account the number of people who do it. I'm surprised how much people do do on the web.
My aunt's computer techie (professional company) even told her it was impossible, that it was just a rumor created to scare people. I'm sorry, but this kind of does get touchy with me. I actually had to show my aunt that it was possible, by listening to the things she did online and then telling her without seeing her monitor. You'd think they put some kind of warnings up. . . Anyway, my rant for the night is up :-)

[tgm4883]

Yeah but that's how hackers get the info, expecially on public wifi, HTTPS is such a joke when public wifi comes into play. There are so many programs which break it in a heart beat. That's why I hope you never find me doing banking and financing over the web. It's still so insecure. People get in between you and the website you're using and tell them they're you and tell you they're them. Then you send them everything that you're sending the website (their computer reads it, possibly adding or removing things) and then sends it to the site pretending to be you. With the popularity of this method (So easy a five year old could do) and taking into account the number of people who do it. I'm surprised how much people do do on the web.
My aunt's computer techie (professional company) even told her it was impossible, that it was just a rumor created to scare people. I'm sorry, but this kind of does get touchy with me. I actually had to show my aunt that it was possible, by listening to the things she did online and then telling her without seeing her monitor. You'd think they put some kind of warnings up. . . Anyway, my rant for the night is up :-)

Just FYI, thats called a man-in-the-middle attack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-in-the-middle_attack) (no need to be so wordy ;) ) and can be prevented by using things like SSL.

[ki4jgt]

Just FYI, thats called a man-in-the-middle attack (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-in-the-middle_attack) (no need to be so wordy ;) ) and can be prevented by using things like SSL.

I know, I was explaining (For the less tech-inclined). Sorry, it still kind of makes me upset, telling my aunt about it and then having a professional sit there and tell her it had never happened and was just a rumor. From what I've read though SSL isn't a preventative measure. It's an alleviative one.

[Copper Bezel]

How old is your aunt, and how tech-savvy? And how often do you think these things actually happen? Honestly, while I don't appreciate factual inaccuracy in any situation, certainly in the form of professional advice, a lot of factual things can seem scarier than they are to someone who doesn't understand the context. Again, that doesn't make it okay to BS about it, but I can understand the impulse.

[hatalar205]

Mozilla must do radical changes. It is too heavy for most computers and a bit older CPUs. A Web Browser must only be a web browser. With lots of add-ons it began to look like an OS :)

[ki4jgt]

How old is your aunt, and how tech-savvy? And how often do you think these things actually happen? Honestly, while I don't appreciate factual inaccuracy in any situation, certainly in the form of professional advice, a lot of factual things can seem scarier than they are to someone who doesn't understand the context. Again, that doesn't make it okay to BS about it, but I can understand the impulse.

Well, my aunt isn't very tech-savvy, she's 48. and I would probably guess it happens at least once in a while in a community (Some kid wanting to play hacker after watching the movie, some of them very intrigued and will continue to feed the thrill) I'm not a pusher for the idea that people steal your information constantly, but it does happen and when people (professionals) BS you about it, you have no way to prepare yourself for what comes next. It may not happen very often, but it does happen. To not take precautions because of statistics, is like not taking precations when playing russian roulette. (Precausion being, not pulling the trigger)

[Random_Dude]

I find this doing-everything-on-the-could fever a little hilarious.
Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I don't see the point of making cellphones evolve into little computers (smartphones), and then regress computers into smartphones.

Cheers :cool:

[ki4jgt]

Well, my aunt isn't very tech-savvy, she's 48. and I would probably guess it happens at least once in a while in a community (Some kid wanting to play hacker after watching the movie, some of them very intrigued and will continue to feed the thrill) I'm not a pusher for the idea that people steal your information constantly, but it does happen and when people (professionals) BS you about it, you have no way to prepare yourself for what comes next. It may not happen very often, but it does happen. To not take precautions because of statistics, is like not taking precations when playing russian roulette. (Precausion being, not pulling the trigger)

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this project shouldn't exist. I've been looking for a replacement of ChromeOS forever (They didn't allow anyone who didn't have their laptops to get automatic updates or to test the software on boot up, which the OS should also do). I always wanted it to be FF. I'm just saying, given the state of security with the Internet, (even the most successful systems have their faults) desktop computers should not be completely dependent on the Internet just yet. Using the Internet to post on this thread should prove that I'm not Internet paranoid, just that I don't completely trust the current internet system to be a fully supported desktop.

[el_koraco]

Is Mozilla behind this? I thought it was just some guy's idea.

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, according to the blog, it's one Mozilla developer, his invisible friends, and a mission:


Rapid Prototyping with Mozilla Chromeless

Shell started as a simple design concept with a few static mockups, but when Mozilla Chromeless came along it was suddenly possible to rapidly develop a working prototype using standard web technologies like HTML, CSS and JavaScript. As a member of the wider Mozilla community this was an opportunity I couldn’t resist so I quickly got to work on putting together a prototype using the technologies I already knew from web development.

This initial early release really just gives you a minimalist, full screen, tabbed web browser with a clock and a rather empty looking home screen. I hope this is enough to convey the basic idea behind the project and that with the open source community’s help we can quickly iterate this prototype to encompass lots of exciting ideas about what living on the web could really be like.

Still, I like the concept much more than Chrome OS; it doesn't look like a browser window trying to be a webtop OS, maybe because it's not trying to maintain branding, and instead it has this wonderful inversion of the positive-negative space dynamic of a traditional desktop, which I seriously dig. Hell, it looks a little like Windows 8, with the home screen, that superflat aesthetic, and particularly the split view, but all in a good way, very trendy and minimal and clean.

ki4jgt, I didn't mean to offend you in any way, either. Honestly, I don't think we disagree about the facts, just the response; I'm a little careless about things of this sort. I don't see it as directly related to a project like this, though, because whether a person uses web banking and shopping and so on or not, there's no difference in using a webtop type system vs. a full OS; generally, if you have seriously sensitive data on your computer, you have it there because you're exchanging it over the internet.

[murderslastcrow]

Ah, I could've sworn it was a Ben Francis project, not a Mozilla project. If you're in a company, that doesn't mean your personal projects represent the company's views, even if they're related areas of activity (it's likely they will be).

I downloaded it, and I liked it. I put in on my iMac G4 since I realized that the web is good enough for the purposes of that computer. It used to have Banshee, Minitube, and Firefox on it with a fancy dock and pretty window decorations. However, this is far more usable and sensible for a machine like that, whose only purpose is temporary use, for fun. And docks and fading windows are fun, but not THAT fun.

I like it better than ChromeOS for some reason. I guess that's because it's using a more expected metaphor for the layout (I'm a Gnome 3 user, so I'm not one to cling to a UI). I just like the design better, too- not focusing too much on tabs and extraneous information. Just dark borders around what you want. Great for the kind of people who are webtastic.

[el_koraco]

Yeah, according to the blog, it's one Mozilla developer, his invisible friends, and a mission:


Yeah, but it's not like Mozilla's financing or backing it. Yet, anyway. I like it a lot better than Chrome OS too. It looks better for one. And it's just a shell, not a whole OS, so doesn't have the restrictions.

[ki4jgt]

Yeah, according to the blog, it's one Mozilla developer, his invisible friends, and a mission:



Still, I like the concept much more than Chrome OS; it doesn't look like a browser window trying to be a webtop OS, maybe because it's not trying to maintain branding, and instead it has this wonderful inversion of the positive-negative space dynamic of a traditional desktop, which I seriously dig. Hell, it looks a little like Windows 8, with the home screen, that superflat aesthetic, and particularly the split view, but all in a good way, very trendy and minimal and clean.

ki4jgt, I didn't mean to offend you in any way, either. Honestly, I don't think we disagree about the facts, just the response; I'm a little careless about things of this sort. I don't see it as directly related to a project like this, though, because whether a person uses web banking and shopping and so on or not, there's no difference in using a webtop type system vs. a full OS; generally, if you have seriously sensitive data on your computer, you have it there because you're exchanging it over the internet.

Oh no, I wasn't offended, right now, I'm just venting steam from home and it causes me to rant on and on about things that are a million years old :-(, but I wasn't offended at all.

It's I who should be apalogizing. I should've presented my information a little more. . . factual and less emotion driven.

[HappinessNow]

Another stripped down web browser acting as a shell to the cloud:

http://webian.org/shell/

Radically simple concept from Mozilla - your desktop replaced by a browser shell.

Its open source and the initial application needs to be built on for it to rival Google Chrome OS as a cloud desktop environment. ;)A day late and a dollar short, Puppy has already had this covered with Puppy Cloud using the Iron Web Browser

[ki4jgt]

A day late and a dollar short, Puppy has already had this covered with Puppy Cloud using the Iron Web Browser

Does Webian or Puppy boot in 8 secs? This would be my biggest choice influencer. That and verified boot, where the system is actually checked on boot and if anything is found wrong with the system, it is replaced.

[HappinessNow]

Does Webian or Puppy boot in 8 secs? This would be my biggest choice influencer. That and verified boot, where the system is actually checked on boot and if anything is found wrong with the system, it is replaced.I have never used either webian or puppy cloud, I only use Chrome OS but I would like to test out Puppy Cloud one day

[lovinglinux]

Thread was merged.

As some already clarified, this is not a Mozilla project or an official response to Google Chrome OS. This is merely a developer project based on Mozilla Chromeless (https://mozillalabs.com/chromeless/), which is the real project Mozilla is working on and has nothing to do with Chrome OS.

Mozilla is featuring the article on Labs site, but make clear is not a Mozilla project: "(This is a guest post from Ben Francis, a member of the Mozilla community and a contributor to the Chromeless project.)"

[Lucradia]

I see no one answered my question. :|

[Copper Bezel]

It's a self-contained web browser app that runs in fullscreen mode and is meant to be run on top of a Linux OS as a shell. In Windows (or Linux, or Mac) it can simply be run as a program. To get the full experience, you'd have to create a custom session on a Linux install, but it's only half there right now.

So, no, no more than Chromium.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Can we still access local apps and files? Or are these projects just meant to make the web browser more prevalent? I do a lot of web surfing, but I would like it if I could actually do something on my computer if it were to go offline. This happens a lot for me because our modem overheats a lot and has to be unplugged several times a day for several minutes to cool off, and I like still having something to do.

[BrokenKingpin]

I suppose that may be cool for some users, but I rely on my DE as I use way more than a web browser. Although, if you really only use a browser, just run OpenBox and launch the browser on startup in full screen mode... no panels or anything to get in your way.

[Copper Bezel]

That's what this is, silly. = ) But you don't actually need the window manager, either.

[el_koraco]

But you don't actually need the window manager, either.

You don't need a WM bloating your perfectly fine shell.

[Copper Bezel]

Tee-hee. = D