SkyOS
| The SkyOS Logo | |
| Developer | Robert Szeleney |
|---|---|
| Working state | Halted |
| Source model | Closed source |
| Initial release | December 15, 1997 |
| Marketing target | Desktop users |
| Available in | Multilingual |
| Platforms | IA-32 |
| Kernel type | Monolithic |
| License | Proprietary |
| Official website | {{ |
SkyOS (Sky Operating System) is a discontinued prototype commercial, proprietary, graphical desktop operating system written for the x86 computer architecture. As of January 30, 2009 development was halted with no plans to resume its development.[1] In August 2013 Robert Szeleney announced the release of a public beta on the SkyOS website. This allows public users to download a Live CD of the SkyOS operating system, for testing and to optionally install the system.[2]
History[edit]
Development started in 1996[3] with the first version released in December 1997.[4] Up until version 4.x the OS was freely available.[5] Starting with beta development of SkyOS 5 in 2003, users were required to pay 30 USD to get access to beta releases.[6] SkyOS adapted new filesystem SkyFS based on OpenBFS in 2004[7] and its graphics subsystem was improved in 2006 with support for desktop compositing including double buffering and transparency. The OS also moved to ELF binaries then.[8] The last beta build 6947 was released in August 2008[5] and there was no status update for several months.[9] As the OS was mainly work of one man, Robert Szeleney, there was increasing difficulty do add new device drivers.[3] Considering lack of development under Robert Szeleney, going open source was viewed by tech press a as the best option for SkyOS.[10][9] Although Szeleney tried to bypass lack of drivers by using new kernel based on Linux or NetBSD,[11] and reported some progress in this regard,[12] development has not resumed. SkyOS website disappeared in 2013[13] and final public build from August 2008 was released for free shortly threafter.[5]
Features[edit]
Kernel[edit]
SkyOS user space lies on top of a custom, modularized, preemptive-multitasking kernel with support for common features like process and thread isolation, memory management/paging, kernel debugging, low-level locking primitives, and real-time PIC/APIC timers. It is a monolithic kernel, with drivers that are dynamically loaded into kernel space via an extension API.
Main kernel features include:
- Kernel-mode VESA support, allowing for graphical display immediately upon power-up
- Architecture abstraction layer, allowing SkyOS to be easily ported to other architectures
- Advanced CPU support, including Multi-Core/SMP/HyperThreading and all the major x86 extensions
SkyGI[edit]
The design of the SkyGI API is loosely based around the concepts of the Qt and Swing windowing toolkits. A core principle of SkyGI is the "view." Every GUI object is derived from the base "view" object, and, as such, all have similar properties and behave in similar ways.[14]
SkyGI has built in support for internationalization and localization, allowing third party developers to easily create multilingual applications that are based around easy to write 'translation' files. The framework also facilitates accessibility by building in support for advanced keyboard navigation.
GUI[edit]
The SkyOS GUI closely follows the WIMP desktop metaphor used in all modern GUIs. However, there are several major components of the SkyOS GUI that are distinct from other operating systems:
The Panel is the functional equivalent to the task bar in Windows or the dock in Mac OS X. It is used to launch programs and switch between application windows, as well as to display information to the user. Plug-ins allow developers to extend the panel's functionality. Existing plug-ins, for example, have added query-based fast application launching, and have modified the day/night indicator to instead show localized weather information.
The Notifier is a built-in user interface element for alerting the user to any number of things, including application crashes and hardware additions/removals. Application programmers may use the notifier for their own purposes via the Desktop Communication Service.
The Viewer is the native file browser on SkyOS. It features multiple view types, thumbnails, and metadata-based display of information, as well as "search as you type" browsing and advanced queries. The Viewer is one of the first file system browsers to support tabbed viewing.
SkyFS[edit]
SkyFS is a fork of the OpenBFS filesystem.
SkyOS can also be run from the following filesystems:
Fast searching[edit]
With the help of the SQL-based Index Feeder, SkyFS supports fast metadata and full-text searching similar in concept to WinFS and Spotlight.[15] This allows for instantaneous system-wide searches as well as "search as you type" file browsing.
Porting applications[edit]
Most command-line applications that were written to be compiled with the GNU Toolchain can be ported to SkyOS with little or no modification. Several large applications, including Apache, GCC, Samba, CUPS, and Bash have been ported using the Toolchain.
The following applications have been ported using native APIs and were being maintained on SkyOS:
The ports of GTK and several GTK-based applications have become unusable with recent API changes. It is not yet known if in the future they will be brought back up to speed.
Reception[edit]
As a former open source project, SkyOS has been the subject of many debates involving free software.
Often, SkyOS is accused of violating the GPL. That is, since developing an operating system is thought to be an exceedingly complex task, the conclusion is drawn by some that Szeleney must have stolen code from free software in order for him to have made the progress that he has. In fact, the opposite is implied by Szeleney's public dealings with open source developers.[16] Even when not required under license, Szeleney has consistently published changes made to open source works used in SkyOS.[17]
Some beta testers feared that their investment would be lost if Szeleney became unable or unwilling to continue the development of SkyOS. This fear was commonly used as one of the more well-substantiated arguments for open sourcing SkyOS. Following the cessation of active development, Szeleney has officially released the last build of SkyOS to the general public, which is available for download.[18]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "SkyOS development is currently halted and no plans to resume its development have been announced". Archived from the original on 2011-08-28. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- ↑ "SkyOS Public Beta". Archived from the original on 2013-08-16. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bednář, Vojtěch (July 13, 2009). "Rekviem za operační systém SkyOS" (in Czech). root.cz. Retrieved April 13, 2019.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ "Die Windows-Alternative aus Oberösterreich" (in German). Der Standard. December 23, 2005. Retrieved April 13, 2019.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Matt (August 12, 2013). "Last SkyOS 5.0 beta released for free". OSNews. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ↑ Loli, Eugenia (December 17, 2003). "SkyOS 5 Beta Testing Cycle is Open". OSNews. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ↑ Loli, Eugenia (January 23, 2004). "OpenBFS Becomes SkyFS for SkyOS". OSNews. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ↑ Krčmář, Petr (July 12, 2006). "Výrazné úpravy v systému SkyOS" (in Czech). root.cz. Retrieved April 13, 2019.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Krčmář, Petr (March 11, 2009). "Budoucnost SkyOS je stále nejistá" (in Czech). root.cz. Retrieved April 13, 2019.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ Blankenhorn, Dana (February 3, 2009). "SkyOS faces choice of go open source or go away". ZDNet. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ↑ Krčmář, Petr (June 10, 2009). "SkyOS experimentuje s jádry Linux a NetBSD" (in Czech). root.cz. Retrieved April 13, 2019.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ Dee, Jay (June 25, 2009). "SkyOS/Linux Progress Report". OSNews. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ↑ Chris_G (March 18, 2013). "SkyOS website finally fizzles out". OSNews. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
- ↑ "SkyGI: Alphabetical List". Retrieved 2007-03-04.
- ↑ "SkyOS Index Feeder" (PDF). Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ↑ "OpenBFS misconceptions and SkyFS". Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ↑ "GPL software". Archived from the original on 2011-08-28. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ↑ "Open Source". Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
External links[edit]
- SkyOS.org—The SkyOS Homepage
- SkyOS.at—The SkyOS Homepage (Alternative Address)
- TechIMO—SkyOS Developers Interview
- Slashdot—Walking Through SkyOS 5.0 Beta
- Slashdot—Thunderbird and Firefox Ported to SkyOS
- OSNews.com—SkyOS, The 7th Beta and Robert Szeleney
- SkyOS archive and downloads
- [1]
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