Visopsys is a new operating system for PCs. It has been in development since late 1997. The kernel is small and fast, operates exclusively in 32-bit mode, and features real preemptive multi-tasking and virtual memory. The package includes a small suite of UNIX- and DOS-like commands, with which most users will be familiar, although Visopsys is not – and does not try to be – a clone of any existing OS. The binary distribution features an easy-to-use Java installation program, which works on Linux, Windows, and Solaris. You can install and demo the distribution on a floppy disk. Screenshot.
Introducing the Visopsys OS
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
I just love it when my OS uses an icon for “reboot” and “shutdown” and more interestingly when “command window” is the only visable application accessable by the desktop.
In such early development, where not much has been coded yet, it makes sense to have such shortcuts, in order to test stuff.
I casually follow the development of several new-ish operating systems. Some may die young, and some may mature into another Linux or BeOS – you never know which ones though. It’s great to hear about brand-new efforts – OS programmers have my complete respect and I wish the Visopsys program all the best.
-Bob
I just want to know, why? i mean, there is Linux, BeOS, Windows, BSD. So why someone works in new OS? just asking, i really want to know the reason for making new OS.
maybe i will start my own ( kidding 😉 )
sorry for my english.
By the Way … i really like this site,
Thanks Eugenia 🙂
Hey, any new os could be the next domaint os in the future. To this and all alt os projects. Keep up the good work we need choices the more the merry.
It’s nice to see someone working on a new kernel, when others (big companies) try to find a way to put ads and spyware in the BIOS.
I hope one day we’ll have an OS that doesn’t require fiddling with vi (or any other bare text editor) in order to securely alter configuration files.
This is wonderful!!! I hadn’t seen any new OS projects in quite a while. In fact Syllable and Sky OS were last ones I’d learned of. Best of luck to the dev team – I hope you get implement everything the way you want it to be
However, I’m still waiting for all the lovely readers that will inevitably post things such as:
“Well if its going to be on MY desktop, its has to have ______ .”
-X support
-Photoshop + 1million plugins
-Gimp (for the photoshop disillusioned)
-Mozilla
-Phoenix (for those to hardcore for Moz)
-IE
-Office
-OO.o (because its open source)
-DirectFB (its faster newer hipper and I have a crush on the lead dev.)
-KDE (cuz Gnome is for losers)
-Gnome (cuz KDE sucks)
As well as the, “Why do we need more operating systems being developed? Everyone has to use (only) Linux, because it represents choice. We have 9000 different distros of linux thats all the choice anyone needs” posters.
Why are you asking why? Have you ever read a book? If so, why did you do it? I’m sure it was a book that had already been read by someone else in the past.
I just want to know, why? i mean, there is Linux, BeOS, Windows, BSD. So why someone works in new OS? just asking, i really want to know the reason for making new OS.
Why do people still climb Mt Everest, we hundreds of people have already climbed it? Because they can…
So to answer your question is a few words: Because we can…
Personally, it’s about knowledge… knowing and demonstrating how to make a computer tick and tock gives great satisfaction… (And is great for the ego).
Chewy509…
Some people do it just for fun. It can also give the oppotunity to try out new ideas and concepts. Just because we already Linux, Windows etc doesn’t mean that someone else can’t have a stab at it. Even if the OS doesn’t take off some of its ideas may live on in others.
It’s a free world
. That’s why we have different marks of Videos, TVs, Speakers… If one person can make something and is willing to work on it then why not?
And BTW, Many Coders wants to make an OS to learn programming. It’s a personal hobby
…absolutely useless. However, more power to the hobby developers. Have fun with it.
The answer is very simple: imagination and creativity. Without them we won’t have what we see today. And tomorrow.
Actually here’s a question. Notice the fairly recent attention that new OS’es are drawing. Anyone want to speculate on why that is so?
No. Absolutely useless is a comment like “Looks…absolutely useless”. Is there something in the water?
Frankly, the more OS’s exist the more that helps me as a Linux user because I know competition and innovation is alove and well and I know that Linux will get its fair share of the pie.
“Actually here’s a question. Notice the fairly recent attention that new OS’es are drawing. Anyone want to speculate on why that is so?”
Because the grass is always greener on the other side.
Why not take that extra man power & make the current ones better? Ah well, best of luck to you.
Because some are hopeless, and as an army of programmers have proven: you can’t make a coherent Linux desktop.
Because some are hopeless, and as an army of programmers have proven: you can’t make a coherent Windows desktop.
Your creativity has inspired me to post a short essay on my linux experience.
nibble nibble munchkin. the M$FT is so big yes. it controls, controls all. the people they walk by i see their feet though my window. their feet swing by the bars on my window. pretty feet shiny shoes. swish swish. are they going to work? i WILL NOT go to work. M$FT is at work. M$FT controls the pretty feet people. controls their money their futures.
i sit and rebuld my kernel. my CPU thrums. the kernel it is the key. we hack the linux yes good. 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, …2.6!!!!!!!!! the M$FT it fears the linux. spreads lies. says the linux comes with no warranty. THE WARRANTY IT IS BAD! it goes into your pores. steals your power. the kernel is good. the kernel will rise and slay the M$FT. when the itching comes i think about the linux. it helps.
i hack a driver for my dvd-rom. it does not work. i debug. it does not work. i delete the old source. and start again. i recompile. it does not work. on M$FT the dvd-rom is plug and play. that is how they get you. get behind your eyes. start the itching. so i hack the driver. i hack, we hack: we gnaw. gnaw at the ropes of slavery. the ropes of M$FT. pretty feet people, we will save you.
Who are you to talk about coherence when no one can make a single meaningful thought out of what you just said?
Looks like some people are trying to cash in on the SCO scare, ie { It consists of code created entirely from the ground up (i.e. no “borrowed” or “supporting” code) } thats a quote directly from the website, personally I think a new OS at this point and time is a tremendous waste of time and energy. But I do wish the developer the best of luck and much success, who knows maybe in the future Visopsys will be the next big thing.
{ As well as the, “Why do we need more operating systems being developed? Everyone has to use (only) Linux, because it represents choice. We have 9000 different distros of linux thats all the choice anyone needs” posters. }
You are an idiot thats what I think of you.
I think it is supposed to be read like a style of poetry that i cant remember the name of. but i think there was a coke commercial with the same style i am thinking of.
to anyone that says why not work on an already made project i say this. is it easier to get a 1000 people to change what they already made or to just make it yourself? i think by the time someone with a good but radical concept got everyone in a current OS to agree on the changes you propose you could probably already have a beta of your own OS with no comprimises* (*spelling?).
You know I really did have you in mind when I was writting that section
Just didn’t think we were on a direct name calling basis; I’m still glad you picked up on it though.
As for cashing in on the SCO media, I doubt that. Not everyone cares about linux news – even though it is sometimes inescapable. I think it was more of an ego thing on his part – that he’d done everything with out any help. Of course if helps you feel better you can believe everyone is conspiring against linux.
Afterall, I’m just an idiot
” i sit and rebuld my kernel. my CPU thrums. the kernel it is the key. we hack the linux yes good. 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, …2.6!!!!!!!!! the M$FT it fears the linux. spreads lies. says the linux comes with no warranty. THE WARRANTY IT IS BAD! it goes into your pores. steals your power. the kernel is good. the kernel will rise and slay the M$FT. when the itching comes i think about the linux. it helps. ”
Yo, anonymous yak yak dude. How is it that I get called the idiot, when you get to write paragraphs about itchy linux people who don’t go to work??? BTW, it was, very funny.
first…the linux essay is awesome. Poetry of the highest order. Too bad some here cannot recognize its majesty.
second…it’s called OS NEWS. Not LinuxNews, AmigaNews, BeNews, WinNews. Bless these guys for having the balls to write something from the ground up. Go man go! Get the power up and win the game!
I am just wondering how valuble a 32 bit OS is when 64 bits is now availible?
How the smeg would you be able to test, let alone run a 64 bit OS on a 32 bit machine?
99% of users’ computers are 32 bit.
Anonymous said:
Because some are hopeless, and as an army of programmers have proven: you can’t make a coherent Linux desktop.
And anonymous said:
Because some are hopeless, and as an army of programmers have proven: you can’t make a coherent Windows desktop.
Which of these two is the more consistent UI then, bearing in mind that I consider neither of them to be perfectly consistent… ?
http://www.sorn.net/misc/inconsistent.jpeg
http://www.sorn.net/misc/inconsistent2.jpeg
They’re both showing applications that are for the same purpose, and the Linux one shows Gaim as an example of consistency between GTK2 and KDE applications.
Good on them! This sort of thing should remind certain interested and interesting parties – who shall not be named – that they might be able to take out or slow down Linux, but the rest of the field is growing and developing so fast it’s a losing game.
It’s more than a mere blip on the screen, it’s a whole fleet.
And as to why, why not? One size doesn’t fit all, and the sooner everybody knows that and respects it, the better everybody’ll be.
yes, but this OS wont be adopted by 99% of the users and it wont be adopted over night.
But if you want to make a 64 bit OS and you can’t get your hands on a 64 bit processor….
It all depends on the target audience of the OS.
They’re both showing applications that are for the same purpose, and the Linux one shows Gaim as an example of consistency between GTK2 and KDE applications.
Yes, they look the same. How nice! Now what about the differences in the behavour? What happens in a GTK+ application when you select a drop-down list? Now what about a Qt application? What about OO.o? O.K, were is the Cancel button on a dialog? What does it look like? When should you click Cancel, and when should you click Ignore? How do you open a text application in an editor; can you drag and drop it into an open editor window, or must you use the file dialog? Talking about the file dialog, can you use it to create a new directory, or rename a file before you save the one you’ve been working on? How do you do that in a GTK+ application? Qt?
Looks the same, but doesn’t act the same. Welcome to Confusion, Population 1 End User!
“I just want to know, why? i mean, there is Linux, BeOS, Windows, BSD. So why someone works in new OS? just asking, i really want to know the reason for making new OS.”
One of the best ways to find out how something really works is to build something else that does the same job. You very quickly figure out that not only is it nearly not as simple as you thought it should be, but you begin to quickly figure out WHY something was built in the way it was. It still might not make any sense as to why they did it that particular way, but you might at least get a sense of the particular problem they ran into and what they had in mind when they came up with that solution.
I would much rather have someone like that coding, say drivers, than somebody who has never done that and simply codes the way some book tells him to. The person who built his own OS will have a lot more real world experience. Who knows, that person may also come up with some really cool feature that gets incorporated into some other OS or program as well.
Too many stupid OS, little Johnny now confused.
Too many stupid OS names, all named by geeks trying too
hard to be cool, little Johnny now confused.
Too many stupid and bloated browsers with too name animal names ….stupid ..who stupid? Little Johnny?
It’s also nice to see a directory structure so simple
/programs
/system
Why would anybody ever try something new? Why would anybody ever try to make something better? Why would anybody ever try to sate their curiosity? Why would anybody ever take a different direction? Why would anyone ever enjoy doing something like this?
We should all just sit at home and complain.
what’s that at the bottom of your screen where the taskbar usually is? I WANT it. Do you have some kind of LiteStep theme going?
I’m working on an OS of sorts, inspired somewhat by ColorForth ( http://www.colorforth.com/cf.html ) and the Canon Cat ( http://www.applefritter.com/ui/cat/explain/ ). I’m currently in the design phase right now, but if I ever get code written that’s usable enough for me to post on the Web, the code will probably come with a disclaimer, saying that I wrote the code for ME, that I’m not expecting others necessarily to USE the OS, but some people are interested in reading about how an OS ticks, and some people are even interested in writing their OWN OS, and perhaps my OS might give them ideas.
I imagine the guy who wrote Visopsys has the same attitude. It’s not about getting others to use your OS. It’s just enjoyable in itself to figure out at last how to get the computer hardware to do your bidding — how to put things up on the VGA or VESA screen, how to coax the floppy or hard disk to copy sectors or whole tracks into memory, how to get virtual memory or a thread scheduler to work smoothly.
Yeah, it’s a LiteStep thing for Windows. I got it from http://www.litestep.net/ . That’s actually its default theme. It replaces the desktop context menu, start menu, integrates with WinAmp and has a CPU usage meter and multiple desktops. I used it mainly because it looks more interesting, and Windows lacks multiple desktops.
Thanks for the tip…I’m using it now and it’s great! I’ve tried LS several times in the past and this is by far the best theme I’ve tried. For those of us tied to MS by job-related software (InterDev, IIS, IE, Photoshop/Illustrator in my case) it’s great to be able to make the desktop more efficient.
screenshot:
http://pennylan.no-ip.org:8080/tom/litestepss.jpg