Project Inquiry and Documentation Concerns
Several commenters expressed a desire for more detailed documentation and information about the project's design and goals. This included questions about its architecture, compatibility, and development team.
- namr2000 asks: "Is it intending to be a unix-like system?", "is libc supported?", and "What are the principles behind IPC?"
- einpoklum poses broader questions: "Who is developing this? Is it a one-person project? A group of developers?", "What is the purpose of developing this OS + userland software system?", and "What standards and what APIs do the different components adhere to?"
- jrapdx3 notes "Would be nice if the authors gave a rundown of how this OS compares with others out there. Without having a clear idea of this OS's features and advantages, potential contributors might feel hesitant about investing time and energy in its development."
- rollcat desires a more accessible demonstration and states "It would be nice if the authors provided a bootable ISO, or even just a video showcase... I wouldn't care to set up a dev environment even if I knew how to."
Hobby Project Recognition and Debate
There's a recognition that this OS is likely a hobby project, fueled by passion and technical skill, but with a debate about the value and potential impact of such endeavors.
- j_w observed: "Looks like a hobby project with a focus on writing (their own?) audio/video playing (and maybe even editing?) software on top of it...Unlikely that it will ever go beyond a hobby project but its a very neat dive. Years of work. Solo osdev-ers are beasts, that's why they do it all."
- einpoklum expresses a mixed feeling: "all that skill, that knowledge, the experience - working on something which, almost by definition, very few people will be able to use...And even as inspiration for other developers and designers - the solo OS-developer is unlikely to spend the time elucidating their design choices and architecture, in documentation, presentations, talks etc."
- 1dom counters with: "> I mean, all that skill, that knowledge, the experience - working on something which, almost by definition, very few people will be able to use. This sentiment makes me sad. You can do things for fun, y'know? And when someone's just having fun, not hurting anyone, and being creative - that's got to be more than just tragic. It's basically the definition of a hobby."
- vkaku praises the project for being a non Unix/POSIXy OS: "Excellent work in writing a non Unix/POSIXy OS. More people should experiment with non standard implementations and have fun doing it."
Novelty vs. Practicality in OS Design
A recurring theme revolves around whether a new OS should adhere to existing conventions (POSIX, C-based) or strive for radical innovation while potentially hindering adoption.
- yyyk argues: "To be noticed by a large community though, a new OS needs to be different from yet another C-based POSIX-style system. We already have a lot of those which are fine enough. It would be nice to see a new OS chucking away that legacy and doing some new things, supporting Linux via a WSL-style system at most."
- leoh and exe34 clarify the intended meaning of "at most" suggesting the desire for innovation while acknowledging the need for compatibility.
- 9dev echoes the sentiment for starting fresh: "A novel operating system would be a great opportunity to start without all the baggage of 70+ years of OS design, and create something for the modern world. But most projects seem to be stuck with the same metaphors we have had for ages. There’s really an opportunity for innovation here."
- anthk questions radical departures from established designs: "If Win95/FVWM with virtual desktops work perfectly well, why the change?"
Build Environment and Windows Dependency
The discussion touches upon the seemingly unusual choice of developing the OS under Windows and the challenges associated with the specific build environment.
- jrapdx3 comments: "That it's built under Windows strikes me as quite an unusual feature. To their credit the developers provide sufficiently detailed build instructions that aren't too hard to follow. However the build environment is very specific. VC has a lot of configuration options, so no doubt very close attention is required to make sure everything is set up correctly."
Licensing Concerns
There are concerns raised about the project's licensing, and whether a clear license exists.
- snvzz: "Project calls itself Open Source, but I can't seem find the license. Does it have one?"
- jmmv responds: "Many of the files I checked have a 2-BSD clause stamped at the top, but I don't know what the resulting combination of the project plus its dependencies becomes."
- suobset adds "That's what I was wondering too, I have sent them an email."
UI/UX Critique and Prioritization
A controversial aspect of the discussion centers around the OS's user interface, with some arguing that visual appeal and user experience should be prioritized. This sparked a debate about the relative importance of form versus function in OS development.
- webprofusion bluntly states: "Impressive, but.. start with how it should look, don't make that an afterthought...Unless the aim is to basically get SSH working and compile a bunch of gnu tools for a basic shell, in which case knock yourself out but don't be surprised when everyone ignores your work. This come across as snark but it's frustration at the wasted effort and that good work will go unnoticed."
- 1dom vehemently disagrees: "But you just rocked up, and essentially said 'you should start from the UI first, it looks crap.'...This is 100% snark to you: I think it's just plain rude and also just wrong of you to say virtually nothing other than how this is ugly and will go unnoticed as a result, simply because it doesn't do the thing that's important to you (e.g. look nice)."
- spauldo interjects: "I suspect you're underestimating how difficult good UI really is. There's a reason UX is a separate career than development - it's a completely different skill set."