[sen]

This is very very cool, and unlike a lot of other "hobby" OSes actually looks usable as a daily driver if your needs are basic (kids, elderly, older/cheaper hardware, etc).

While for nerds computers have become these monstrously powerful things that can do everything under the sun, there's definitely still plenty of people who just want a computer to write down notes, keep a calendar, use the calculator... eg the things home computers were originally made to do.

[voidfunc]

What youre describing is called iOS on a large iPad. Everyone from 4 year olds to my 77 year old computer illiterate Dad can figure it out.

This doesn't look very usable at all by someone who isn't basically a computer nerd.

[Nextgrid]

True in theory, but in practice due to our economy being based on growth at all costs, iOS doesn’t really fit the bill anymore.

Nowadays even iOS will randomly change its UI and send you “notifications” or “suggestions” (modern euphemism for “ads”) to subscribe to Apple TV* or iCloud.

[Razengan]

> What youre describing is called iOS on a large iPad.

iPad was my gateway drug into Apple when I got it as a gift for my aunt and saw how easy and intuitive it was to use, and also to develop for.

Then after Jobs' whip fell from his cold hands they went into the realm of "mystery meat" menus and arcane gestures where swiping from seemingly every different angle of the screen edge does something different. Swipe from the top-right corner to get the Control Center, but swipe from the center-top to see the Notifications?? Yeah not gonna bother training an elder on that. I can't dare get my mom a modern iPhone now where she has to swipe up to unlock: it has be an iPhone SE, the last iPhones with a Home button.

I am the filthiest of nerds but I still can't get myself to remember how the heck iPad multitasking works. Apparently they can't either, they changed it again in 26 and now I can't easily get Notes etc. by swiping in from the side when watching a video etc. and I haven't bothered to look up how to do that now.

In any case all this only shows that attempting a one-size-fits-all UI can't really go all the way. iPhones/iPad have had a respectable run, they were lucky to have an OS Usability tyrant in charge, but maybe it's time to accept that UIs need an option for Simple vs Expert or something.

[hu3]

You mean the OS that "upgraded" to transparent background, sometimes hard to read text by default?

I can't recommend those in good concience ton elders anymore.

Kids always figure it out tho.

[honeybadger1]

I agree with you. I see this as a passion project, and I think it's really cool.

[bitexploder]

iOS is tremendously more complex than it used to be. Still relatively easy to use but it has definitely lost the simplicity edge.

[hulitu]

> What youre describing is called iOS on a large iPad.

Is iOS able to work with files ? Asking for a friend. /s

[hollerith]

>if your needs are basic (kids, elderly, . . .)

Most kids and most elderly need to run a mainstream browser from time to time, and this Visopsys will almost certainly never be able to run a mainstream browser.

[wizzwizz4]

Then we need to change what is meant by "mainstream browser".

[Rygian]

From the Visopsys "About" page:

> [...] realistically the target audience remains limited to operating system enthusiasts, students, and assorted other sensation seekers

[rvz]

> and unlike a lot of other "hobby" OSes actually looks usable as a daily driver if your needs are basic (kids, elderly, older/cheaper hardware, etc).

While building a non-Linux OS is very impressive, however this is not useful as a daily driver at all.

If the OS doesn't even have basic browsers such as Chrome or Firefox, it can't be remotely used as a daily driver to anyone who isn't a computer enthusiast.

[xuhu]

I wonder if Visopsys, Windows 3.11 and others could work as a daily driver running in qemu, started from a Linux initrd that has just a browser and qemu. "Opening" the browser in Visopsys actually switches to the browser running on the host, and Alt-Tab switches back to Visopsys.

[Levitating]

I couldn't tell you how many operating systems fit those requirements, hobby or not.