If I designed an OS

[gore]

In another thread we were discussing video game violence and another member brought up how, with the money he could get from having a lawsuit because of a kid playing violent games, he could get a great computer. Well I thought hell if I had that money, I would finance my own OS.

My OS would be called "gore Opius" Pronounced gore Opee-us. gore from my name/handle, and Opius would mean a mix of OS for Operating system, and Opium, which brings happiness and kills anger.


I made the post long and talked about how my OS would be and so I decided to make a thread about it to hear your opinions about it. So read through this and tell me how yuo feel. Do you think I could take Microsoft down with an OS that was easy and simple yet actually worked?

Also, if you were to build an OS, how would you do it? what festures would you have? How would you go about it?

Heres my OS:

My own OS, which by the way, my OS WOULD take Microsoft apart. Id do what they did, go to every hardware manufact and every software company and make them support my OS.

Except I wouldnt bend my customers over either. I'd write my own OS but I have no intentions on being a programmer. I'm an OSs person and thats that, I can secure my systems and I would make my OS a mix; I would talk to the developers of Solaris, Trusted Solaris, and Open BSD to work on a security stand point. I would also hire the people who write OSs for kitchen appliances, I know it seems dumb but think about it, when have you ever seen a Microwave or toaster crash? lol.

I'd have them there, not to WORK on the system, but to watch over the other programmers. By that I mean I would have them keep it simple yet effective. Also, SuSE, Debian, Slackware, and Mandrake Linux would also be hired in. I think those are the best of the best in the Linux world. I like SuSE and it is my favorite distro, so I would take parts from them and strike a deal with them, I also like Slackware because it's simple and effective, mix that with the simple and ease of use of SuSE, and then add features from Mandrake because the way they do a few things I also like, and then Debian, another fav of mine.

Then Id have A nice design ready, the actual OS would be a mix between Solaris, Trustred Solaris, Open BSD, SuSE, Mandrake, Debian, Slackware and BeOS. As for networking, I would hire in Free BSD. I think Free BSD is very good with networking and I would use some of what they do too.

Also I would make the programmers as I said before work with people who write for kitchen appliance OSs, to keep it from being bloated. Id use the kitchen tools as the basis for the entire OS. By that I mean I would make the OS simple, yet seemingly complex. I would split the OS into peices and have each part to one job VERY well. If you know alot about UNIX this is the basis for it too.

I would give the option to have a GUI or not, which during install would be chosen. The GUI would have a meter you could use to basically choose how GUI intence the system would be. If you have a powerful machine and you like eye candy, You could set the system GUI FX up all the way and everything would look beautiful, tasks would start up like movies.

But, if you wanted you could also run it on a 386. and if you wanted it would have a user interface that ran on a 386, not just command line. Of course this would be similar to a DOS Shell, the mouse would work, but the GUI would be nothing more than colored text and things that would prolly resemble a drawing on the screen, kind of like PC-DOS uses.

I would have the kicthen tools programmers also sit down at talk to the people who write DOS, (PXC and DR DOS). That way the simple standards could be transfered to the OS.

Also, I would make it so that it had "patches" for compatibility. Like if you wanted it to run Windows **** or something liek that, you could install the patch from the installation media. That way the system wasnt hogging resources for no reason.

Stability, Reliability, Security and Performance would be what Id want first. The GUI would look awesome but I wouldnt take away from reliability just to "make it look pretty". The installation I think would be new. I would have it set up so that while you were installing it was interactive.

Like when you booted it up it would have a nice looking splash screen and then detect your hardware, but while it was doing that, there would be a screen asking you to turn on your speakers and click a button when you heard a test sound. After the speakers were on and a nice sound level was choosen, a little text box would pop up and it would say Hello, what is your name? And then you could tell it your name and it would say Hello to you and ask how you were doing and ask if youd like to play a game.

Id have a couple low resources games for you to choose, like testris or tron, or a window would come up for you to draw on while you waited for hardware detection. Also, hardware support would be very important to me, all the new features of hardware cant be used if the OS cant find it right?

That is why I would go to almost every hardware manufact and ask them for drivers or specs to create them. Then I would have the drivers tested. Also I would recommend Nvidia cards to my users. Id have a chat with the people who make Nvidia cards and tell them about it and ask for them to include drivers for my OS on the CDs of there cards. Id also do this with jutsabout every other hardware maker. That way peopel using this wouldnt have the excuse that with Windows the **** works because theres support.

That wouldnt be aloud to be said anymore because my OS WOULD have support. And everytime something new came out, I would have a patch ready on the OSs website that would add the drivers to your system. Before the thing was released though, I would hire hackers, crackers, and system analysis people to come in and seriously **** with the thing.

Id give them a copy free for doing so and along with cash, I think theyd do good. After the OS was done, I would take the code form it, and chop it up into peices, and have secure code analysis done on it to be sure there arent any holes in it or security flaws that make compromise the system.

Also, to everyone who used it, I would have the activation codes for every copy registered, and that way I could make the OS pop a Window up after the install saying "Congradulations! Your registration code was a randomly generated number that has a winning package" Or some **** like that where there would be a few of the packages sold having registration codes that, when registered would alert the user that they won, and then they could take the code and call up a special number for OS tech support and say they got the message, and then that person could verify this and they would win a new computer or $1000.00 in cash.

The registration code they used would then be marked off so it couldnt be used again. I duno I just think that this would be a nice change in OS installation than the usual "please set your clock" bullshit I see every week when I do an OS install.

The OS itself would be sort of UNIX based, it would be able to run KDE and all the other X clients, but also, by default it would use a custom one that came with it. Also, pricing would be very similar to Linux distros you see in a store. I would charge arounf 70 Dollars for it. Thats a decent price and people can usually afford that much, **** they pay twice that for Windows anyway.

Also, I would have so much software available. By default Id let you choose what you wanted, but the install would be 2 DVDs at least. Unless you did it for 386s, then it would be on floppy, which I would have the OS come with the DVDs, CDs, and floppies for the installation. The floppy disks would contain software for the OS made to run on old machines. The DVDs would be like SuSE Linux, you could install from CDs or DVDs.

I guess after using more than 40 OSs, I know what I and a few others would like to see in an OS. Oh yea, more importantly, the OSs would come with Tux racer, Vi, Emacs, an Unreal Tournament Demo, Doom, Quake, and a firewall.

Wouldnt it be nice to have an OS come with a computer you bought at a store that was actually not Windows? Id strike up deals with alot of people like Microsoft did, and that way we could minimize how many viruses people were hurt by. There wouldnt be no damned VB script in my OS. Id start out with at least x86 and Alphas and Sun stations being supported, Id have it so you could buy the version for whatever hardware you were using it for.

Also, that piracy bullshit wouldnt have people in jail. Well not as much anyway. Id make it sdo when you bought your copy, you could install it on 3 machines. Not 1, but 3. Most people have 3 or less machines and I dont think its right you have to buy 3 ****ing copies of the same software because your kids wanna play with it too, ya know? So id allow 3 machines to use it at once.

[cheyenne1212]

I think the prize winning thing would be pretty cool. Hell, I'd buy several copies, if I knew I could win something off of it.

I like the idea of allowing the software to be able to be installed on three machines.

[rcgreen]

If I made an OS, it would be a lot like DOS, but more powerful.
You've heard of unix. I'd call mine weenix (like unix but for we instead of you, he he)

It would have hundreds of enormously powerful commands that no one knows about.
It would not have a GUI, because that's for stupid people. You would have to go to a special
school to learn it. It wouldn't come with a crappy programming language like C, but only
assembly language, for people with no life who could boast at parties that "I wrote
a graphical text editor for WEENIX in nothing but assembly language. It took 30
years to finish... ...still needs a little debugging but..."

[MemorY]

hell i like command based OS's and programs ..i'd buy it ...

and Microsoft you better prepare for another fight with Opius << love the name

[nihil]

Gore,

Only one request:

I would like a "special (l)user" version that made them re-boot after every typo

I am sure we all have "special(l)users", and would very much appreciate the refined version.

Cheers

[rapier57]

Yeah, I have a whole passel of "special users" I'd like to inflict this on! Please, please ...

[gore]

Heh, come on man, Im the Bastard sys admin from Michigan! (Actually I'm 20 and I work at a fast food restarunt and go to college but ya know ) Id have a special tab called the "BOFH" tab that would have a menu like the BOFH has. If you read all the stories, one has a pic of the bastard menu, I would have that built in.

[:-\]

LOL.. as enjoyable as your OS seems, you'll never replace Billy's monster in my heart..

But seriously, take a stab at designing a small OS.. start with a small program with simple tools like a test editor, and web browser, and expand.. see if you can get close to you OS.

[DeadAddict]

Anything is possible if you have the desire to do it and it always helps if other people that are going to be working on the project have the same desire as you do. so if those things come together it will most likely happen.

[gore]

I dont really want to start small. I have the plans already, I just need like a million dollars or so to fund it. Every peice has to come together the way I want. I may seem stubborn but I know what I want and I really would want all the other OS progammers working together with the kitchen ones. Also I like the person who brought up DOS, I like it and in the thread I specified Id have them working with them too.

I know this could take on bills monster, Id do like I said, I mean who wouldnt wanna run that system? Id have a built in command line that could use DOS and UNIX commands so you wouldnt have to re learn anything. But also Id have extra commands built in. Also the fact that It would be cheaper than Windows would help.

And I would stick by what I said about installation, Id let it go for 3 machines. Because it really is ****ing dumb to have to spend 900 Dollars on Windows because the kid wanna play with it too. As for using it as a server, Id have the most common servers able to be ran on it and also, Id have new ones.

A new FTP server, a new Web Server, all kindsa ****. Id make sure it was compatible with **** though too. Also by default all servers and or Daemons would be shut off. But also there would be a program to configure services and **** like that. But also the thing would have a text version too. Kind of like YAST2 from SuSE.

Also, maybe Id make it so the server **** didnt come on the install media, but after you registered you could download them or...Hmmm *Heh, neet watching the thought process happen isnt it? * Maybe Id just have a CD that came with it that had all the servers on it.

With a warning about them saying something like "You will usually only need these if you are a sys admin or if you are setting up a computer in which other computers need to access the machine, if you arent sure, you dont need them".

Hmm, yea that sounds good. And I think that having the site have patches you can add everytime new hardware is released would help. Like when a new peice of hardware was released the site would have a patch to download which contained drivers.

Heh this would rock man! Also, the OS would be able to run Windows software, Linux software, BSD, all kinds of OSs. That way people who wanted to try it or buy it but couldnt switch there platforms over could continue using what they already have and this too.

If its not compatible with anything, no one going to want to use it. Specially companies who use Windows, they arent going to use this if they have to buy all new ****, but if this works with it just fine, theyll buy it, then if they like it, then they buy it and use it exclusevly, that little ability to CHOOSE what you want to do, will make me rich.

Also, I would have another patch to download or have it on the CDs or DVDs, that would allow you to run DOS programs, Windows progs, all kindsa ****. So peopel could buy it and use it as a server without having to dwitchg what they use as the server software.

Also, I would have it so games would be supported to, that way gamers could use it. I would also add a program to it that would monitor temps inside the machine, so that when it got too hot, it would display a warning message and play a series of beeps so sys admins and users could adress the problem without having to buy new machines.

I think system availability is important for a company, and you cant use a machine that bursted into flames because it over heated. Also, I would add a custom multi media player. I know I for one did not like Winamp, XMMS is cool as hell though, but Id wanna go better, I would have OpiuMedia Player as a program that came with it. It would be fully skinable, resizeable (****ing small Video windows get on my nerves, and getting pissed about a problem leads to creativity), And also, I would make sure it was NOT a RAm and resources hog. It could be ran in Command line mode or "Text" mode, and Also in GUI.

It would play ALL media types. Codecs are a pain in the ****ing ass to search for, this would play everything. Also built in key strokes would be used. Not like exclusivly, but if you didnt feel like using a mouse, Id have keystrokes for all tasks. And if you had the player in full screen, Id have a pop up saying how to exit full screen mode so people wouldnt get disgrutled.

This OS will change computing as we know it. I have almost 40 OSs. and if you include some I downloaded a few days ago; I have like 49. Iv used ALOT of OSs, I know what I liked and what I didnt like from each one, Id take away what was annoying and I would add my favorite parts from each one.

I would also have man pages like UNIX has. But also, help tools would be very important too. You cant tell someone to read the ****ing manual if they dont know where to start. Id have it come with basic manuals for howto install and how to use it, but also for the people who enjoy hacking OSs, Id give them something to quench that extra "how does it do that?" type of thinking.

Id have a help menu with a search bar that would allow you to ask questions, and also just search for something by key words in general. It would be set up so youd ask a question, and it would use the words you typed to find matches. Also for the people looking for more info, it would work the same way. It would take each word you typed in and find every manual/help file with matching words and display them.

But for people new to the system Id have more options available, like it would ask YOU questions and then display what it would think you want. Also Id have it with a few minor learning capabilities. The things you did most for example, It would do a sort of "defragment" on the fly. Like when you opened a program or did something, it would take a note of this and then after you used ot for say 3 days and it had a decent amount of "notes" it would cache the things you did the most so they loaded faster.

The command line I think would be a very strong point. Id have a tool kind of like YAST2 because YAST2 ****ing owns. Except I would make it so you could add hardware and **** without rebooting. I think it would take some neat tricks to pull that off.

Like one of the custom commands would be to make part of the File system (Morphine138) sleep, or sort of save all changes for you and shut that part of itself down so you could pop in hardware and then issue another "Wake up" command and it would refresh everything in memory and find the hardware and install the actual drivers for it...Actually, no, I have it pop up a menu and have it ask how youd like to install the drivers.

It could connect to the OpiOS website and download the latest driver, or install it from the install Media, or..Something like that. Just about anythinng to keep it from ever needing a reboot. I know I hate having to reboot, specially when you got a nice uptime going.

Another part of the OS would be protected memory. Id make it part of the OS. Id call it "memory Body Gaurd". It would keep an eye on everything in memory and if it detected something about to happen that could cause the system to become unstable in anyway, it would try to prevent it, and iif it did freeze the system or become unstable, it would pop up a message telling you about it and then have a few options, you could basically just refresh that part of the OS and it would kill anything that seemed to be giving a proble,

I dont think that would happen though because of the people who would be working on this. And this would also go back to how the OS would be able to shut a part of itself down to allow the installation of hardware without rebooting. The ability to do that would be a main feature.

I know something like this is possible because Solaris doesnt usually need a reboot for hot swap **** or other hardware. The commands to shut down a part of the file system and bring it back up would be the sedate command, to make a part of the system fall asleep while you performed the surgery on the case (taking it off and adding hardware...kind like giving the PC a boob job, there both silicone right?) and then the coffee command would bring it back up.

I think another way to achieve this would be to have every part of the MOBO monitored by the OS, the PCI slots and drive bays could be monitored, and then AGP slots, and the RAM slots, and then when you wanted to add new hardware but didnt feel like rebooting the machine, you could tell it to sedate a certain area, it would sort of shut that part off, you could add it, then coffee it back on and it would find and use the new hardware.

I think the file system I picked would be a good choice name wise. Morphine was named after the Greek God of dreams, so The Morphine138 file sytem, which would work like a dream, would be very nice. Also the 138 is in there, because so many file systems seem to have numbers. Fat16,32,EXT2,3....**** like that. And 138 would of course be taken from my Love for the Misfits.

Im really glad you all are in this thread. I think its going VERY well. Im getting alot of feed back and Also thanks to everyone for thinking its a good idea so far. I love it! And me being an OSs person, well its fitting that me, whos used so many, be the one who makes the ultimate OS.

Id also strike a deal with ISPs. Id give them the OS for free to use on there servers and to give a few employees. In return, all of the users of OpiOS would get free internet access if they wanted it. Kind of like, you scratch my back and give me a reach around and Ill hook you up and save you a few thousand dollars in software costs.