SE51 > /dev/null > 2008 > January

Here is some more information about my current ongoing project, I want to answer some questions here, and shine some light as to what exactly it is.

Whatever happened to OS X Quicksilver, and/or Spiral?
These two, well actually only thing, I have stopped developing these things for multiple reasons. In case you don’t know, these were planned as the successors to OS X Mercury. Spiral was in its latest build running off a database, which was fine. Essentially I was planning on a full-blown web-based desktop with everything, like a full blown end-user desktop. Thing is that I not only couldn’t use the design of Macs anymore, like the Dock and Menu bar, I even more feared that people might be able to hack into other user’s accounts or even folders, and I didn’t want people to lose important data, or data being looked at. I am not a security expert, and I was on my own. So this is why this project is stopped. I can put on the latest source code before stopping it online if you want.

So what is COSMOS then?
It’s an abbreviation first of all, and the current project. It stands for:

Complete Open Source Material* Operating System

* Material as in Software and Hardware.

Slated to be an operating system instead of a web based desktop, this project is more promising and more secure for that matter. COSMOS currently runs of a FreeBSD base, version 6.2 to be exact. Later I will post more details on the layering of the system core.

Ok, so that’s COSMOS itself. Unix/Linux flavors are not new, what makes yours stand out?
The user interface. It is written entirely in Squeak and thus the language Smalltalk-80. In essence, it is an all new user interface coming with its own applications, the framework for this is written by me completely from scratch. I have chosen this as a platform because it is practically endlessly portable, no SDK or API is required. I have posted some screenshots already, where you can see how the user interface is progressing.

Right. Do you know when it’s gonna be finished?
Not yet, but if I can write things as fast as I could in the past three weeks, it will be quicker than I thought. I’ll let you all know.

You mentioned hardware as well. Does this mean your system comes with a machine as well?
If you like, yes. I am exploring the possibility to have COSMOS installed on a machine that is specifically configured for the system. This machine will have open specifications, meaning that I will outline its components, so that you can build one just like it or similar, and then install the system yourself.

I see. So it’s all open, right? It doesn’t cost me anything, correct?
That is correct. Everything in this project is open - the software, the hardware, the code of the user interface, the code of FreeBSD is already open… it won’t cost you anything (unless you want to build a machine for COSMOS).

Sounds pretty cool, but will it blend?
Uhm… software doesn’t blend. Hard drives, graphic cards, processors, conductors as well as DVDs however, will.

Thanks, let us know updates, okay?
Sure thing.

For now, I have closed the depot. The reason for this is not that I have abandoned open source, it is just that I feel the code is not ready yet to be open sourced. It doesn’t do much of interest yet, it’s just a rough framework, not perfected yet, or doing something. So later on the depot will be open again - but let me work on it for a while.

Today I have uploaded the first bits of the code for my project COSMOS. It is Smalltalk code and contains all the functions described on my COSMOS screenshots page.

A COSMOS window, a Bezel for a minimized window, a task icon, the Menu Shelf, and the System Browser with some code for the new user interface. Click to enlarge.

With COSMOS I’m implementing my ideas for a user interface on a large scale, I am not only designing my own windowing system in Smalltalk, I am also planning to use this as an end-user ready desktop system in my own flavor of FreeBSD.

The code is now available in my Code Depot and can be downloaded without restrictions.

The depot gets updated with new code everytime I do something new, and the screenshots page will grow as well.

What COSMOS is all about, you can find out here.

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=GmG4X9PGOXs]

Guess what. They apparently have moved to Texas, and seem to have aged. Check out the latest stunt of the Nigeria Connection - sorry, Texas Connection, after the jump.

Dear Friend ,

My name is Mrs Judith Williams am 79yrs old of age, i stay at 6618 Flowermound Dr, Sugarland TX 78479 , USA. I am a good merchant , I have several industrial companies and good share in various banks in the world .I spend all my life on investment and corporate business.

All the way i lost my husband and two beautiful kids in fatal accident that occur in November 5th 2003.

I am a very greedy woman with all cost i don’t know much and care about people, since when I have an experience of my it difficult to sleep and give rest . Later in the year 2004 February i was sent a letter of medical check up, as my personal Doctor testify that i have a lung cancer, which can easily take off my life soon. I found it uneasy to survive myself, because a lot of investment cannot be run and manage by me again.

I quickly call up a pastor / prophet to give me positive thinking on this solution, as my adviser. He ministered to me to share my properties ,wealth, to motherless baby/orphanage homes/people that need money for survivor both student that need money/ business men for their investment and for future rising. So i am writing this letter to people who really need help from me both student in college, to contact me urgently.

So that i can make available preparation on that especially women of the day, who are divorced by their husband, why they cannot survive the mist of feeding theirself. Please contact me and stop weeping .

Probably let me now what you really need the money for, and if you can still help me to distribute money to nearest orphanages homes near your town.

Now am so much with God, am now born again.

May you be blessed, as you reach me,

I will give more information to you as i await your response immediately.

Best Regards ,

Mrs . Judith Williams.

Just that this is clear: The address this was coming from is a standard Hotmail address, and I don’t think this email is genuine.

UPDATE:
A search for this person in TX comes up with a few hits, but all located at some other place as TX 78479.

And this is the only Flowermound Drive in Texas:

Flower Mound Dr
College Station, TX 77845.

As you know, Apple has put up banners at Macworld, and now on Apple.com, stating “There’s something in the air”.

After discussing what this could actually mean, we have come up with these possible resolutions:

- Like already captioned in the image below, Steve will ask for Phil Collins to take the stage and accompany him through certain parts of the keynote, announcing that he is indeed coming to iTunes. First song available without DRM protection is obviously “In The Air Tonight”.

- Steve is aware of the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ and as a special guest he brings in Al Gore to the show, who then talks to the people about Apple’s new partnership in politics to invent iAir ™, and thus removing global warming issues. Alongside the announcement of iAir ™ comes a new device, Airport Blaster, which sucks in old air, and returns upgraded iAir ™ which has no pollution. iAir is so incredible, it cannot even be polluted even if someone tried really, really hard. Alongside these announcements, Steve is gonna introduce a new user interface for the Airport Blaster, named Multi-Breath ™.

- Very simple: Steve is gonna let one rip on stage. A loud one.

Well, on the more serious side of life, Apple Insider reports that Wired claims to have learned about details of the so-called MacBook Air.

Just wait and see, people, wait and see.

That is the message of the banners currently being transmitted to you, over at Moscone West. This sentence is just there, leaving you puzzled as to what this might refer to. There is a lot of ultra-hot speculation about what the meaning of the slogan is.

My God. Does this mean Phil Collins is coming to iTunes?!

Remember that many of the slogans Apple posted on banners there over the last years has turned out to be a significant product connected to the banner, which then made sense. Like “Life Is Random” - iPod Shuffle. “Expand Your Universe” - Mac OS X Leopard. Some say it is the name for a new portable product, named “MacBook Air”.

Again, we’ll see.

“I can feel it comin’ in the air tonight… Oh Lord, Oh Lord… [insert drum sample here!].

As we all know, Your Steveness takes the stage at the Macworld to yet deliver another Jobsnote to kickoff the Mac summit, one of the two big ones each year. The speculation zone is open for business, rumors about what Steve might talk about have reached room temperature.

And yet, no one knows. Same procedure as every year I guess. People, blogs, and sites bring up rumors about what they have heard what Apple’s next thing might be. Everyone says they are right, and stick to it. Then, all the things rumored would have to be released, so: only one can be right, if at all. But most likely it’ll be like this, like always: rumors come up, people think they already know what’s coming, and then… boom! Steve shows something completely different.

Have you forgotten this? “Think different”.

Well. Again, another rumor has come up talking about a so-called MacBook Air. What is more likely is that the SDK for the iPhone and iPod touch is being rolled out.

In other words: I don’t know. WE don’t know.

We’ll have to wait.

Nonetheless, I’m taking bets…

After two years of work, development, and rewriting a lot of code, the KDE team has today announced the immediate availability of the latest installment of their innovative desktop series. KDE 4.0.0 features a rewritten desktop shell called Plasma, a new icon theme named Oxygen, a total overhaul of the entire graphical appearance, and KWin (the window manager) now supports compositing features and goes hand in hand with Compiz.

KDE, number 4: The new Kickoff Menu, Dolphin, and System Settings

Also coming with the new desktop is Dolphin, the new file browser which over time is supposed to replace KDE’s previous standard, Konqueror. Doplhin features a simplified interface, and a sidebar that has a similarity to the new sidebar of the Finder in Mac OS X, but they don’t work quite the same.

So-called Plasmoids are relying on the new desktop widget engine, much in the fashion of Apple’s Dashboard or similar solutions. It allows you to have small widgets with information floating on your desktop.

Other than that the desktop has seen a lot of more improvements and changes, and is available through mirrors and KDE’s site itself.

The KDE 4 Libraries have seen major improvements in almost all areas. The Phonon multimedia framework provides platform independent multimedia support to all KDE applications, the Solid hardware integration framework makes interacting with (removable) devices easier and provides tools for better power management.

The KDE 4 Desktop has gained some major new capabilities. The Plasma desktop shell offers a new desktop interface, including panel, menu and widgets on the desktop as well as a dashboard function. KWin, the KDE Window manager, now supports advanced graphical effects to ease interaction with your windows.

Lots of KDE Applications have seen improvements as well. Visual updates through vector-based artwork, changes in the underlying libraries, user interface enhancements, new features, even new applications — you name it, KDE 4.0 has it. Okular, the new document viewer and Dolphin, the new file manager are only two applications that leverage KDE 4.0’s new technologies.

The Oxygen Artwork team provides a breath of fresh air on the desktop. Nearly all the user-visible parts of the KDE desktop and applications have been given a facelift. Beauty and consistency are two of the basic concepts behind Oxygen.

Press Release: KDE 4 available for immediate release

Download KDE 4

…then you get messages like this before you actually start doing some important work (for a change):

I AM ACTING AS AN IRRESPONSIBLE DATA OWNER BY PROCEEDING WITHOUT BACKUP