The Syllable folks have released some screenshots of their AtheOS-based operating system, and also a binary of ABrowse, the Konqueror-based browser for AtheOS/Syllable. The team is looking for a kernel hacker, and more developers in general, to join the project.
Syllable Screenshots and ABrowse Package Available
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Folks, please get rid of this ugly background image of AtheOS on your screenshots. It will put off a lot of potential users! While the image might work nicely for a logo, is definately not suitable for a background image.
Secondly, I hope you include with the OS, applications like the “AtheOS Manager” which is a great utility and very useful too. I hope Kamidake.org also join you and post applications for both OSes.
Sorry, about that. It is the default image for the New Desktop Replacement. I know it is ugly, but I am programmer and not an artist(at least not in pictures, but I do play a mean sax
). It will be change soon.
As for applications(since this is my main area), I didn’t think about AtheMgr. It will definately make it into the next build(sorry Jon Hall). 0.4a is already being tested, so it won’t unfortunately make it in time. Just to note: 0.4.0a is bugfixes. Their was a main bug in pkgmanager(gnu software installer) that created a lot of problems. Not to mention, a desktop(oops) problem that arose.
Rick, I will design a Syllable background for you and send it over. If you like it, you can use it as default background.
Did you like the logo I made for Syllable a week ago? I sent an email to Vanders with it… 😮
>Rick, I will design a Syllable background for you and send >it over. If you like it, you can use it as default >background.
Thank you, that would be really nice
!!!
>Did you like the logo I made for Syllable a week ago? I ?>sent an email to Vanders with it… 😮
I never seen it. Vanders has been so busy that he probably forgot all about it.
I agree with Eugenia! On both points. The wallpaper is… horrible. AtheMgr is a very nice app, and i’m glad it will be in the next build.
One more thing. Have you thought much about a package manager? I think something like the manager QNX RTP has, but that will interface with Kamidake (or a similar site), would be nice.
Yeah, i’ve mentioned this (more or less) a zillion times on the AtheOS list, but I think it’s worth thinking about…
Each app(driver, whatever) would need two files. First the actuall file (the .tgz contain the app, or whatever) the a second file that the package manager would read that would contain the following info:
– Where to install the app to
– What to extract the file with (unzip, tar, what?) and what flags are needed (-xvpzf or wahtever)
– What other files are required to install this. If app B needs lib A to run and you dont have lib A, the program should offer to install libA
hmm, that’s all i can think of right now (i’m tired, i will get back to you on this…)
I am sending them all now. Please check your email in 5 mins. 😮
Rick, email sent to the email address you supply on the osnews forum atm.
Thank you Eugenia
, I just received them.
As for the package manager idea from Kevin, we actually have something like that now. It is called AtheInstall. It flopped, because we still had to use the shell at that time(there was no Launcher or Desktop with createable icons). I just wish Jon Hall would come back with AtheInstall. I liked the program, and hey I could even program a way for Archiver to detect the *.nst and then ask the user if they want to open it. However, it did not interface with Kamidake
, but if Jon would come back then maybe it would 
.
>Rick, email sent to the email address you supply on the osnews forum atm.
Yes, you can send any email you want there
. It is devoted for only programming and syllable(atheos) email.
A standard installation system is required early on, or else the OS will end up with a bunch of applications that all install in different ways, and then getting them to behave together will be a mess.
And more importantly : there should be a simple way to UNINSTALL. I can’t stress this enough ! It really should be as simple as with Windows (Program manager => remove).
We have a lot of work to do for the 0.4.x versions
Most of the problems arise from a lack of a Style Guide, and that most of the applications you see have rolled their own GUI classes (Such as Image Buttons, Image Menus etc.). Not to mention the fact that almost none of the icons and images match!
We plan on getting all of that fixed during 0.4.x , and we’re working on the exact plans now.
Oh and yes, we do still need a lead kernel developer. People are hacking the kernel, but there is no lead developer. Is there anyone with enough knowledge and time out there?
Can you please make use of the Sourceforge forums (=Link them on the homepage).
Not everybody whats to subscribe the mailing list.
I’d prefer not to use the Forums. Spliting the discussion between the mailing lists, SF Forums, 0Reality and in some cases, OSNews forums, just gets messy and difficult to track. If you don’t want to download all the mail from the mailing list, you can either subscribe in digest mode, or subscribe with the “No Mail” option and then use the SourceForge Mailing List archives to read the mailing lists.
Oh, and Syllable 0.4.0a has just been released, which fixes most of the stuff that was broken in Syllable 0.4.0.
I know you guys are busy but any chance of a list of changes since (I guess) AtheOS 0.3.5?
Unix style package management or windows style installer programs are not neccesary for Syllable. All you have to do to install a program is un-zip it to /Applications, all you have to do to uninstall it is delete /Applications/$app/, and perhaps ~/config/$app/.
…use the mailinglists! There was no message in either the announce or developer list. I don’t want to always check osnews.com or syllable.sourceforge.net for a new release.
I was just about to post the same thing. Everybody keeps talking about how important it is to have a package manager.
But this is not a Linux distribution. An AtheOS/Syllable application is supposed to keep all its files in its own folder, where it can easily find them by referring to it as “^” (“^/data.dat”, etc.)
To “install”, just copy the folder. Delete it to “uninstall”.
Much simpler than using a package manager.
I did use the mailing list. http://sourceforge.net/mailarchive/forum.php?thread_id=909730&forum…
You are subscribed to syllable-announce arn’t you?
No, I’m not subscribed. I only looked at the archives you refer to from the website: http://www.geocrawler.com/lists/3/SourceForge/23161/0/ (announce) and http://www.geocrawler.com/lists/3/SourceForge/23160/0/ (developer). I don’t understand the difference between Geocrawler.com and SourceForge.net mailinglists…
I have no idea why, but the Geocrawler archives seemed to have stoped updating. The SF Archives are usually no more than half an hour out of date. Its only happened recently, so I havn’t changed the links on the website yet.
I would love to at least contribute passively by running the OS and looking for bugs. However, I’d need an AOL instant messenger client, among other things, before I could actually be somewhat useful in it.
Anyone know if there’s a project to port one to AtheOS/Syllable?
I heard there is a Jabber client, you might try to use this to connect to AOL. But it might not work, who knows…
Using AtheOS/Syllable as a user only isn’t really possible yet. I mean it’s possible but don’t expect it to do everything you need. Even webbrowsing is a pretty rough experience with ABrowse (although the engine is great of course, beeing a somewhat outdated port of KHTML). You better just install it and boot into from time to time so you get the idea and probably catch some bugs. =)
I had no warning the desktop was gonna be so ugly heh. Had to download some backrounds off the web.
Its a desktop OS, you should be able to just run a file to install new packages. But for now… I want dhcp and more network card support
If you can copy the that file (the one which you plan to “just run”), why can’t you just copy the program folder?
Applications shouldn’t need to be installed at all. Just copy the folder. If you had an installation file, you would have to copy it *and* run it. Twice as complicated!
As you said, it’s a desktop OS, and thus all about handling files and folders. Why make things more difficult by adding another system (in addition to the desktop/file manager) for copying software?
Who said it had to be any more complex then a simple application which installs the app into /Applications/newapp and the config files into /home/user/config/newapp.
It sounds simple because it is. Discussion on the mailing lists have been about how all libraries should be in the base install, and apps should only install into the /applications and /home/user/config dirs. This is of course ignoring unix command line apps which go into /usr.
This is a desktop os, we shouldnt have to appologize to users for not having a 2 click installation. And we really dont need a extremely complex rpm type setup. Click on downloaded binary, it’s screen pops up saying where its going to install the app, and the config files, and the symlinks, click on the yes button. poof.
>I had no warning the desktop was gonna be so ugly heh. Had to download some backrounds off the web.
Evan, I understand that you think it is ugly, but please forgive me. I had a lot of other things on my mind(like the actual programming) and images wasn’t one of them. Eugenia sent me some nice backgrounds for the next release, but until then please bear with the default.
Rick
I did not intend to insult. Your job isnt to make a stylish backround for Atheos spending hours using photoshop to perfect some image. Ive got a fine backround now and And am very much enjoying the updates in 0.4.0a. Your New desktop breathed fresh air into atheos. Is there some place We can find documentation on the new desktop? (making new shortcuts, etc?)
Does anyone have a VMWare image of this they’d like to share so those of us with VMWare can give it a look?
Atheos works fine under VMWare, this should as well. There’s even support for VMWare’s emulated NIC under Atheos, but I could never get it to work
Thanks,
-Matt
Why thank you Evan
. No, there is not a way to easily make or change icons(yet). You must manually edit one of the ~/Desktop/*.desktop. This all will be changed after I get the merger done. There is not a changelog or a website devoted to all of the features of the desktop, but I am going to write one tonight after I get home from work 
.
Rick
Installers are black magic. You run it and it puts a bunch of files… somewhere, and then it does a bunch of… stuff. It takes control of the system away from the user. You can never be sure what’s safe to delete and what isn’t because everything is happening behind your back. When someone installs an application by grabbing the folder and dragging it into /Applications they know *exactly* what they did to install it, exactly where everything is, and exactly how to get rid of it. A good user interface is about more than pretty pictures and treating people as imbeciles.