Difference between revisions of "web.de"

Revision as of 14:32, 30 May 2016

As the name suggests, web.de is a desktop environment based on web standards such as HTML and javascript. Using this style of interface brings certain advantages along with it such as the built-in (optional) remote access capabilities and the ability for it to be easily modified or customized. Although there are multiple official themes available for this project, it is important to note that we have tried to engineer a user interface (UI) that is intuitive and simple to use. Because of these design goals, hopefully everyone from a child to a grand mother will be able to easily use this software!

License

This projects' codebase is licensed under the CPLv2 unless a valid CPLv1 license has been purchased. More information about both of these licenses can be found under the "Our Licenses" link of our homepage.

Themes

Currently there are three official themes that are available with this project to provide a familiar interface for users coming from various other operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Canonical's Ubuntu, however, the default interface is of our own design. It is important to remember that the themes designed to mimic other OS's are not meant to be exact duplicates of their counterparts, but instead they retain our unique aspects while organizing them in a (somewhat) familiar environment. This section will cover each of those themes by first discussing their basic structure, and then going over the details of the various parts that make up the interface.

Default

After you go through the initial setup of the operating system, this interface will be the one used by default. It has a very basic structure that consists of one navigation bar (navbar) on the left-hand side of the screen, and within it are a handful of options that allow you to interact with the device. Clicking on any of these options will present you with related information or access to other programs. The top six tabs will contain an icon, a name, or both (depending on your screen resolution) that indicates its function. On non-mobile devices, holding your mouse cursor over each tab for a couple of seconds will present its name in the event it is unclear. Following those tabs are three indicator icons that present a way to easily see what communication methods are available and working. Just like the tabs, clicking on any one of these will show additional information about each of those connections as well as the ability to turn them on or off. Following those indicators is another icon that will bring up this information directly in the user interface so that users do not have to go out of their way to get help. And finally, there is the 'epoch' tab. Clicking it will present a screen full of information about the current date and time, present holidays, and more!

Windows-esque

As the name suggests, this theme is designed to provide familiarity to users that are coming from Microsoft Windows. Like the default interface discussed above, this one also has a simple structure that consists of only one navigation bar (navbar). However, unlike the default theme, this one has an additional section that shows the currently running applications and is known as the taskbar and just like in Windows, clicking an icon will bring its associated application into focus. The icons on the far left-hand side provide access into various parts of the interface and will also show helpful information by placing your mouse cursor over them for a couple of seconds. It is important to note that unlike Microsoft Windows, the Start Menu (known as 'Access' in XiniX) can be clicked twice to show either the menu or the currently selected location (Device, Local, Network). Moving on to the right-hand side of the navbar, you will see the connections, epoch, and installation options. The 'connections' and 'epoch' options work as described in the 'Default' theme above, and the 'installation' icon should be used to create XiniX installation media for anyone who may want it (see Install below).

Unity-esque

One of the most popular Linux distros is Canonical's Ubuntu so it made sense that if we were to create a familiar 'native' Linux interface, this would be the place to start. Although the structure is not as simple as the prior two we have covered, it is far from complicated. Similar to the 'Default' theme, this one also has a navigation bar (navbar) on the left-hand side of the screen, but in contrast it also has another bar at the top known as the 'titlebar'. The navbar in this theme is a little bit of a mixture between the 'Default' and 'Windows-esque' themes in that it contains the same tabs that provide access to the interface at the top, followed by a similiar Windows-esque 'taskbar' section below them, and finally by the 'help' and 'epoch' options at the bottom. The 'titlebar' is a separate bar that will enable the user to install XiniX to attached media of the device (see Install below), start applications using the textbox, see which communication methods are available and working, and to change the state of the device itself. To get more information about each of these items, read the appropriate section below.

User Interface

No matter which theme you decide to use, the rest of the display will be consumed with the layout of any screen selected from interaction with the navbar or (optionally) the titlebar. What's more is that any 'bar' that is shown will always be visible so that the user can quickly go from working in an application to interacting with the operating system. Currently there are just four main parts to this desktop environment due to the fact that some of our goals are to remain minimal for security and get out of the way so that the users work takes center stage. Each will be covered below in greater detail.

Login

Just like every other OS on the market, XiniX boots up to an authentication screen where you will need to enter credentials in order to gain access to the device. In its current state, it is quite minimal in that it can only take local usernames and passwords, however, there are plans to expand in the future to include other options like ldap, openID's, and more! After providing valid authentication credentials, the main interface is started and is covered below.

web.de

As mentioned, each interface contains at least one 'bar' that allows the user to interact with the system. Since each theme contains its own characteristics, we could not group the items below into specific sections or 'bars'. So as a result we are going to list them one-by-one with the options you would normally see in the 'navbar' and then followed by the ones that 'float' around.

• Access This screen will be used for the majority of the interaction with the device and is similar to the Start Menu in Windows. Where the Microsoft solution provides general access to the system, the one in web.de is laid out in three distinct areas - Device, Local, Network (DLN). The first option provides all the categories available that relate to the device itself and should be restricted to those users who are knowledgeable about the inner workings of the device due to erroneous input here potentially causing serious problems with overall functionality. Contrarily, the 'Local' option provides the user with the ability to access and manipulate locally attached devices (e.g. USB printers and drives) and storage (containing your data). The final option provides the ability to access and control a variety of network resources. Additional details are provided in the 'Access Menu' section below.
  
  Windows-esque: This theme actually combines this option along with 'Recent', 'Help', 'State', and 'Smartbar' (from below) to make-up the 'Start Menu'. When the 'Access' icon is dark shaded, either the 'Start Menu' is showing or it will be shown if another option is currently being viewed when clicking it. If the icon is light shaded, either the DLN screen is showing or it will be shown if coming into focus.

• Desktop One of the most familiar parts of any operating system, the desktop mostly acts as the place to store frequently accessed documents and shortcuts to start applications. Like traditional desktops such as Windows, the icons stored here in web.de can be re-arranged based on various criteria so that the desired one can more quickly be located. This functionality will also be extended to our mobile interface unlike Android and iOS.
  Currently there are several ways to sort the contents and include by date, file, name, size, and type. By default, this screen is sorted by filename, alphabetically. When sorting by date, the icons will be arranged so that the latest accessed files are at the top of the list. If you would like to sort the icons so they are grouped by type (e.g. doc, mp3, pdf, etc), then click the 'File' option. To sort by file size (smallest first), simply select the 'Size' option. Finally, you can arrange the layout by the category type that the application belongs to (e.g. Eduation, Productivity, Social, etc).

• Widgets Most users enjoy being able to customize their devices to their own liking and web.de allows you to do just that using this screen! To (un)install an extension, a theme, or an icon set, navigate to this screen where you will be presented with a popup listing all the available options for the desired widget. You can change the type of widget to list by using the links at the top of the popup. Once you are in the desired list, click any item on the left to bring up its details on the right. When you come across something you would like to install, simply click the 'Install' button within the item's details. For installed widgets that you no longer want, simply locate them in this screen and click the 'Uninstall' button.

• Info As a way to quickly get various types of information with the device, use this screen to concisely show any information that you should be made aware of by the various software running on the device. While the main listing will be expanded to show more categories with the release of future projects of ours, this screen currently shows our Cliquesoft feed and device alerts along with available updates and information related to the system, software, hardware, and device health.

• Recent Similar to the 'Info' screen, this one will display all the recent activity of the device to locate and open various accessed data such as documents, pictures, and videos. Unlike other traditional operating systems though, this screen will also show you recent software installations, uninstallations, and updates providing you the ability to rollback any of those modifications from a single location.

• State This screen allows you to perform a variety of tasks and is where you will find all the running applications in the default theme. Acting like a task list (instead of taskbar), clicking on any of the icons will bring that software into focus so you can interact with it. Right above that listing is the 'Smartbar' which allows you to start desired software (see below) as well as install the XiniX operating system to attached media (see '#How do I install XiniX.3F'). To the right of the screen you will see a listing with several groups of options. The top set contains a list that affect the actual operational status of the device followed by several that change the visual state and are useful for accessing available media. The final options section can be used to see and (possibly) adjust the reported levels of internal and connected equipment such as the volume level and screen brightness. It should be noted that because the options that interact with your media change the visual state of the device itself, this is how you can use one device to play media on another.
  
  Windows-esque: Since this theme was fashioned to resemble the Microsoft OS environment, the taskbar obviously replaces the task list and the 'Smartbar' and state listing are part of the 'Access Menu'.
  
  Unity-esque: Like the 'Windows-esque' theme, the running applications are listed in the taskbar, however, the 'Smartbar' and state listing are part of the 'Titlebar'.

• Taskbar This section is only available in the 'Windows-esque' and 'Unity-esque' themes and provides a traditionally used method of switching between running applications within the operating systems. However, unlike other main stream implementations such as Microsoft Windows that places some opened items in the taskbar and others in the system tray, the listing you find in this section of web.de's navbar will show you all the user-loaded software. To switch to a desired application in the list, simply click its icon!

• Indicators This batch of icons convey a visual representation of what communication methods are available and currently enabled for the device. Clicking any one of these icons will bring up a slider to enable or disable any particular method, change the device identity (hostname), and more!

• Help As the name suggests, clicking this icon will load the help documentation for web.de from within the user interface itself. Due to space constants on some mobile devices, this icon may not be shown.

• Epoch If you would like to see more information about the current date and time, holidays, and more, then click this option. The information shown here will be expanded as our new projects are publicly released, but it currently presents you with a large easy-to-see calendar along with information such as holidays occurring over the current month.

• Install While this option is present in various places depending on which theme you have installed, clicking the icon will present the user with a popup that will install the XiniX operating system to a desired internal or externally attached storage device. Unlike other operating systems that require separate media for installation (e.g. CD/DVD) and operation (e.g. hard drive), XiniX does not distinguish between the two - meaning the installation media can also be the operating media too (e.g. flash drive)! This saves users the hassle of having to hunt for installation media to copy or give a friend or family member since you can now do it right from within the OS itself! Also, because the XiniX operating system is so small you can install it to virtually any media developed within the last decade! For specific placement of where this icon is located in your theme, see the 'State' option above.

• Smartbar Currently this textbox only works by typing the executable name of a binary to load, so it really isn't too smart as of now. However, as time goes by we will be expanding it in future versions to process phrases such as 'watch videos', 'surf the web', and more. We should also point out the voice processing is not currently implemented either.

web.browser

With the exception of Google's Android, all major operating systems come with some type of file manager. Web.de is no different and comes with one called web.browser. Although its design is based on the common navigational manager, it is unlike the other applications due to having the ability to manage any number of panes and opens with one by default. The idea behind this design is so that simple tasks like opening, deleting, and renaming can be performed with a single pane and make up the bulk of actions taken by users. When tasks get more complicated such as copying, moving, or packaging (e.g. zip, tar, tgz), this is where multiple panes come into play and, since actions can be performed between panes, we envision using one pane as the source (the place containing the data to be manipulated) and other panes as targets (were you want the data to go). For example, something like moving data between drives could use the first pane to locate and select the data from the source drive and in another pane, open the target location that you would like the information to go and then perform the move/paste actions. Another, more complex example may be that you are copying information off of a flash drive and placing it on your local hard drive as well as somewhere in the cloud. Again, use the first pane to locate and select the data on the flash drive, then open two more panes with the first pointing to your local drive and the other one opened up to the proper 'Network' location followed by the appropriate copy/paste actions. The list of examples could go on and on, especially when considering advanced operations such as multiple server manipulation on networks, however we figure you get the idea...

As usual, one of the design goals was simplicity so the user interface is not cluttered or cryptic and is made up of a single, universal header at the top and any desired number of panes below it. The header values will change based on the individual configuration of the focused pane. So, for example, you may have one pane that uses the traditional 'list' view and anther one that is using large icons, or you may have multiple that are showing files in a particular sorted order. Below the header will be the desired number of panes you have opened. A pane can either have a complete hierarchical listing of accessible devices or a single-level icon listing (e.g. the contents of one folder at a time) with the prior option being the default selection. Either way, you start off with a familiar 'Device, Local, and Network' listing, although, unlike the 'Access' menu, there is also a fourth option labelled 'Backups' that allow you to see an manage your backed up data including the ability to restore it - all from one application! Below we will cover the details of the various parts of the program.

• View By adjusting this value, you can change the overall interaction with the storage media that are accessible by this device. The only two options include a traditional tree-styled listing that shows the entire structure, and an icon view that only displays the current level of data with larger icons.

• New... This listbox allows you to create new files, folders, and symlinks (shortcuts in Microsoft Windows) in the location of the currently active pane below. After selecting an option, any remaining information will be obtained through additional popups. Also, it is important to note that ALL new FILES are simple text files!

• Path Use this textbox to paste or type in specific paths to get to a desired location. Keep in mind that various conventions are allowed:
      /Local/storage
      //Linux/networking
      \\Windows\networking
      @XiniX/networking

• Sort The two trailing listboxes work together to display the items in the desired order. This one in particular indicates which field to use when sorting the contents and defaults to the name of the file. Also remember that the value selected here is the corresponding value shown opposite the filename.

• Direction As mentioned, the selected value here works in conjunction with the preceeding listbox and is used to change the list order of the items. By using the default values of these two fields, contents will be sorted by filename in a-to-z order.

• < and > These arrows will open another pane on the respective side of the currently active instance. This can be useful to compare files quickly in a side-by-side view, or to more easily copy data between two different points using one pane as a source and one as a target. Whatever your needs, the ability to create and manage any number of these panes is available via the click of a button!

• Search If you are looking for any files or folders containing specific extension(s), word(s), or phrase(s), simply input those parameters in this textbox and press the <ENTER> key to have all the results shown in a new pane below. Like Internet search engines, the syntax works using the '+' and '-' characters for inclusion and exclusion respectively. The example below searches for all mp3 and ogg audio files without the phrase 'dance fever' in its title:
      *.mp3 +*.ogg -'dance fever'

• Action When you want to manipulate data, select it in the active pane below using an item(s) associated checkbox and then pick an option from this list. Any further instructions will be provided via popups based on your selection. And remember, the actions listed here even work between panes!

• X If, at any point, you want to close a pane that has been opened using either of the '<' or '>' buttons, click here. Since there has to be at least one pane that is shown, this button will be disabled when there is only one remaining.

• info icon There are going to be times when you want to see details other than just the name of the item. Clicking this icon will provide you with the additional information for the file, folder, or symlink.

• checkbox Instead of only being able to click one item at a time, the software (non-mobile) allows for a more efficient way to select multiple items by clicking the first one and, while holding the <SHIFT> key, click the last one!

web.state

NOTE: this application is not very useful at the moment, but should get a makeover in an upcoming release.

This application allows the user to manage and interact with their media files including watching movies, listening to music, or playing slideshows. Taking advantage of online music and movies databases, when browsing your collection you will be able to see any related information about a desired song or video if available. There are also additional capabilities like being able to create and share slideshows of pictures you have amassed over time, reading ebooks, and playing video games!

Access Menu

As stated above, this is most likely where you still spend most of your time when interacting with XiniX. And during that time, you will most likely be using the 'Local' and 'Network' options since this allows access to locally attached devices, your software and data, personal settings, and network resources. Also, like other applications that are part of this desktop environment, this screen uses the common Device, Local, and Network options and are used here to separate functionality into the proper location. Each will be covered in more detail below.

Device

• Accounts

• Drivers

• Logs

• Hardware

• Running

• Scheduled

• Services

• Settings

Local

• Attached

• Browse...

• Software

• Scheduled

• Settings

Network

• Apple

• Linux

• Windows

• XiniX

• Discovered

• Settings

Pair Use this slider in order to pair XiniX with other devices using the XiniX operating system or that are configured to use the ssh daemon such as Amazon AWS.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I install XiniX?

The easiest way is by using the built-in installation popup found in the 'Titlebar'. After clicking it, select the desired target media from the appropriate list along with the CPU architecture of the target device and then clicking the 'Ok' button. This process does take a bit of time surprisingly, especially if the CPU architectures of the source and target devices don't match.

How do I change my theme?

To perform this task simply click on the 'Widgets' icon from the 'Navbar'. After the popup has loaded, click on the 'Themes' link at the top and browse the list for any desired theme(s). Clicking on an entry on the left-hand side will show its details on the right where the 'Install' button resides for the actual installation of the theme. After these steps have been taken, click on the 'Access' icon from the 'Navbar' and the 'Device' option on the right-hand side of the screen. From there, expand the 'Settings' category and click the 'Configure' button that is associated with the 'web.de' entry. Now select the desired theme from the appropriate line in the popup and click the 'Ok' button.

How do I install software?

By default XiniX does not come with any pre-installed software (for security reasons) and depends on what type of software you are attempting to install. While all installations require the navigation of the 'Access' menu, drivers and services are accessed through the 'Device' option and all other applications are located in 'Local'. Once you have opened the appropriate category, click the toggle icon found opposite the category title which will expose the list of software that can be installed. Now simply change the listbox option to 'Install' for any software you want to use.

Can I watch streaming television shows?

Absolutely! We have actually tried to make it very easy for you to do just that! Simply click the 'State' slider and the 'Video' entry. Once the window gets loaded, you will see the current listing of online providers in the left-hand pane of the screen. Select which one you would like to preview and all the available shows will populate allowing you to select the one you wish to view.

How do I remotely access a XiniX device?

By default, XiniX has this ability turned off for security reasons. In the event that you would like remote access to any XiniX device, click the 'Access' icon from the 'Navbar' and select the 'Device' option. Afterwards expand the 'Settings' category and click the 'Configure' button to show the corresponding popup. Towards the bottom you will find two values that relate to the access setting. Now you should select either 'Remote only' or 'Local and Remote' depending on if you want to retain local access to the device. The second associated listbox will tell XiniX what IP address to use for remote access - one provided automatically via DHCP (default) or the one currently assigned to the network adapter. After a reboot has completed, you should now be able to access the device using the IP address that you configured.

How do I get a computer connected to my TV to play a movie from a remote device?

This is a prime example of what the 'State' slider was intended to resolve! Once you have ascertained the IP address of the computer connected to the TV, open a browser on your remote device and point it to that IP (be sure to use the correct port also!). From there navigate to the 'State' slider and click the 'Video' entry from the list. This will load another interface so that you can find the desired content to watch whether it is a personal video or something to be streamed over the Internet.

Not only does this slider enable you to perform common tasks such as rebooting or shutting down the device, it also can be used to make a (remote) device act in a certain manor such as playing a movie or music. This can come in handy in situations were you want the target device to become the player instead of the controlling device (e.g. a computer attached to a television).