Hakan Bilgin, System Architect, managed to bring the idea of a cloud OS from the drawing board to fruition – and it even has Paint!

The Cloudo Company is a Swedish start-up, a 5 man team, with an interesting product: a virtual operating system – like running Linux inside VMware, but their servers do all the legwork for you.  It’s got another another advantage: all of your documents are accessible from any computer connected to the internet.

Don’t worry about the price, it is supported by advertising and for those interested in developing apps for it, there’s a ‘revenue share’ program. They are also really nice about getting you started – offering free support via chat or email.

The user interface is quite modern and beautiful – with a lot of features in common with KDE – transparent menus, big icons, a built-in search tool in the Menu and one click access to frequently used apps. You can run Cloudo in full screen by selecting View> Fullscreen in Firefox or just press F11.

Cloudo is unfortunately still in its testing phase; it just opened its gates on February 19th to developers, who are invited to create new apps for Cloudo in standards based XML. Ted Persson, in charge of strategy had the following quote in the press release:

“The computers we use today are based on a set of ideas and concepts that were developed in the late 70’s, they haven’t evolved to meet the demands of today’s mobile lifestyle and the possibilities the Internet offers.  Among 20 year-olds more than 95% of the time by the computer is spent online. Cloudo is the natural next step, taking the full desktop online”.

At the moment Cloudos’ functionality is rather limited – third party developers just started using the service at the end of February. New applications will probably take at least 6 months to reach the threshold for real day-to-day work. Today, Cloudo has built-in:

• Application Manager – a simple tool that enables you to pick apps and install them. No need for configurations or Next buttons, it’s a one click install. Installing new apps takes a little over 20 seconds.
• Textpad – a very limited text editor, similar to Notepad.
• CHamp – an audio player that resembles early versions of Winamp, limited to playing non-DRM music. There is no syncing with portable media players or album art. The current skin has an awkward design.
• Media Player – a barebones video player with almost no controls or settings.
• Also included: Calendar, Dev-Tool (an enhanced notepad), a Weather Widget and a RSS Reader.

There are a few more applications available for installation: Iceman, Gomoku, Othello, Connect Four, MineSweeper, Snake, Sudoku, Slideshow and Google Maps.

So far the service is stable – I could log in perfectly every time – my apps and documents are still there and the interface is snappy. I haven’t found a  limit on how much you can store online, which is a big plus for the digital packrats.

Their servers are running LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), which are known to be very stable and less prone to crashes and security breaches. Your browser will interpret XML, XSLT and Javascript, known to be less performance intensive than Flash or straight on Java.

I personally think Cloudo will succeed in this market driven by cheaper lower-end hardware built with mobility in mind – you guessed it, netbooks. Couple this with some of the services we reviewed earlier and you’ve got no need for software or any data at all on your computer: Google Docs, Lala, Spotify, Meebo, Picnik….the list goes on.

What do you guys think? Are you ready to trust Cloudo with your documents and other personal data?  My privacy genie says its a risk – but is it worth taking – that remains to be seen.

For more examples of cloud computing, check out these articles by Tina, Jeffry and Karl.

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• Five Webtop Alternatives For Cloud Computing (24)
• Enter The World Of Cloud Computing Using AirSet (Any OS) (6)
• Panda Cloud – The Antivirus Like No Other You Have Seen (27)
• Map Online Service As a Network Drive with Gladinet (Windows) (10)
• Install An Open-Source Cloud Operating System On Your Server (14)

I ventured over to the site and signed up for my free account. They do ask for a bunch of personal information that you might not feel comfortable giving out (like your mobile number for instance) But between me and you, giving them this information is to your benefit.

With your mobile number and email address, AirSet can hit you on the hip or send an email alerting you to a specific condition. So AirSet is like a personal computer that is running on a terminal in a very powerful server. It is also available to you at any time and can process and do stuff while you are not actively using it. How awesome is that?

When you activate your account, you will be greeted with this:

I ran through the demo (quickly) and then jumped right into cloud computing.

Here is a shot of the default desktop:

and a close up of my default Start (like) menu:

The apps available to you right off the bat are:

• Web Publish
• Messaging
• Calendar
• Contacts
• Lists
• Forum
• Albums
• Playlists
• Links

Hit “More Tools” and you will see a healthy amount of other applications and services to make cloud computing more “desktop-like”. You can “sync-up” and bring over contacts and documents. You can invite other users to work in the same Cloud Computer as you and it really seems like the possibilities are endless.

Some recommended uses for AirSet include :

• Create a web desktop for an event or group of people.
• Have easy access to all of your data wherever you are.
• Publish web documents and add calendar events and contacts.
• Load up other peoples desktops and share yours as well.

Think a slimmed down version of Ubuntu running on the web ready to do your bidding.

Is anyone else using any other Cloud Computing services? Let us know in the comments!

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

• Five Webtop Alternatives For Cloud Computing (24)
• Cloudo: Your Entire Operating System In The Cloud (40)
• Panda Cloud – The Antivirus Like No Other You Have Seen (27)
• Map Online Service As a Network Drive with Gladinet (Windows) (10)
• Install An Open-Source Cloud Operating System On Your Server (14)

The term “cloud computing” has become much more well known recently. From the perspective of someone like me, I guess it means that I can do any computer-related task anywhere without having to install any program at all because everything I need is already web-based. I just need the basic things: a computer, an operating system, an internet connection and a compatible web browser.

Complimenting the cloud-computing concept, a new breed of small and cheap mobile computers called “netbooks” have emerged and are starting to pop up everywhere. Started by the idea of Mr. Negroponte with his project “One Laptop Per Child” now almost every PC manufacturer has their own line of netbooks.

So, where will we go from here? Here’s my two cents: Static desktops will probably move aside because the future is mobility and connectivity. Future machines probably will have more simplified hardware configurations (meaning: cheaper price, smaller size, lighter weight and extremely longer battery life) and armed only with an internet connection, a very tiny simple lightweight OS (I’m thinking about one of the Linux variants) and a browser. Everything else will be available in the virtual world. You might even able to do your office work comfortably from a simple cellphone.

Webtop is the name given to the virtual working environments. Here are some of the free alternatives.

1. ajaxWindows

This one has the greatest flexibility among others which I’ve tried so far. You can ‘install’ many available optional applications to the webtop (including iTunes) and use them straight away. Likewise, you can also ‘uninstall’ applications that you don’t like/need. But the sweetest thing about ajaxWindows is its ability to synchronize the document(s) located in ajaxWindows environment and in your own computer desktop and in your moveable storage such as a thumbdrive.

Aside from standard office applications and other useful apps, the user will also get 1GB of storage, an email account, and the ability to upload and download files.

2. iCube Online Operating System

Almost identical to, but not as rich as, Windows XP. Not too friendly to office works (it only has a word processor) but has enough multimedia applications. It has an old Mario Bros game! The user also gets 1GB of storage, an email account, and the ability to upload and download files.

3. G.ho.st

Another Windows clone – and far from scary. Similar to iCube but with more office apps. The things that make this one different from the others are the fatter storage of 5GB, 3GB of email storage, and an additional 1GB for each friend you refer. Just be sure to mention ‘thurana’ when you sign up

4. eyeOS

Not everybody likes chocolate ice cream, some prefer strawberry flavour. This one here is definitely strawberry because the UI is similar not to Windows but to Mac OS. Other things that make this one different from the others are the fact that eyeOS is open source so you can use it within your home/office network, and the existence of a Google Earth-like application called eyeTerre which has seven sources of satellite maps.

5. Glide OS

The mobility concept is really here. While others so far can only be used ‘correctly’ via a personal computer’s browser, Glide OS provides users with the real ability to run the webtop from small mobile devices such as a Blackberry, Palm, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and of course Mac OS X in the iPhone.

I know that this list is just scratching the surface. So if you can add one or two (or more) other Webtop alternatives for cloud computing, throw them in the comments below! Or if you have used one of these, what did you think of it?

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

• Enter The World Of Cloud Computing Using AirSet (Any OS) (6)
• Cloudo: Your Entire Operating System In The Cloud (40)
• Panda Cloud – The Antivirus Like No Other You Have Seen (27)
• Map Online Service As a Network Drive with Gladinet (Windows) (10)
• Install An Open-Source Cloud Operating System On Your Server (14)

While completing research regarding this topic, I discovered iCUBE from Online Operating System (OOS) and decided to focus my article on this tool. iCUBE is the online desktop solution I found most useful, offering 1GB of free web space in a (once customized) familiar surrounding. Visually it’s a Windows interface, but many design elements also remind me of Mac.

iCUBE

So what can you do with iCUBE?

Actually it’s pretty simple. You can create, store, access and share files such as photos, documents or personal data. On your desktop you will find shortcuts to applications such as an image viewer, a PDF viewer, and an email client. To organize your files there’s a file manager, a photo album, and a folder called “My Files”. At the bottom of the desktop you’ll see a Windows-like taskbar and through the menu you can access programs, the control panel, help and support or you can log yourself out. So it’s much like the Windows Start button.

OOS supports drag & drop within the program. However, drag & drop does not work for moving files from your computer to your virtual desktop. To transfer files from the local machine, open the >File Manager, then click on >File >Upload, select >Browse… to locate the file on your computer, finally click >Upload to transfer it to iCUBE. You may have noticed that there is also an option to >Download files in the >File menu. What you will download is a zip archive of all your files in the currently selected OOS folder, for example the Desktop folder.

Now that you understand the basics, lets do some customization. At this point the options are limited, but nevertheless worth looking into. First of all you might want to change the icons seen on your desktop and in the Quicklaunch bar. Go through >Menu >Control Panel >Application Manager and check the respective boxes for each tool. If there is something you won’t need, you can remove it altogether.

You will see the list is pretty extensive and if you choose to display most of the programs on your virtual desktop, you should re-arrange them into categories or whichever order you prefer. Just drag & drop the icons around your screen. The default background is the standard Mac wallpaper. You can change it through >Menu >Control Panel >Display. I decided to upload a custom image and if you choose Other… you can access your uploaded image files through the file manager. There are not many options to help you format the wallpaper, so don’t expect it to fit perfectly and rather go with something simple in the first place.

Along with signing up for the desktop manager, you will receive a public homepage which can be edited through your iCUBE desktop. To share your files you can either make them generally available through your OOS homepage or share them with specific iCUBE users only. Simply right-click on a file or folder and select >Share from the menu. Then search for OOS users and add them to the list of >Authorized Users. They will now be able to see these files in their >Shared Files directory. This is quite useful when you are collaborating with someone and need to exchange or forward images or text files.

Now to some of the applications. There is a mail client included, which may come in very hand if you use iCUBE while traveling. They support POP3/IMAP/SMTP for your username@oos.cc address. However, you can not set up POP mail accounts for your primary email – you can only use your OOS account to send, receive, sort and store mails. So if you’re routinely using POP mail accounts, this really just makes for a good temporary vacation account.The web browser is redundant and I don’t understand why it’s there. You need a browser to launch iCUBE, so why would you need a browser inside your browser window? In the days before tabbed browsing this may have made sense, but nowadays it has no point in my opinion. Somewhere safety and privacy aspects were mentioned, since whatever sites you visit or terms you search within Google will not be associated with you or your computer. So that’s the only aspect that might be valid but if you’re worried about privacy, you will need to take proper precautions anyhow, and if you’re using a public computer – honestly – why bother?

The Write, Notes, Editor, and PDF Viewer applications do what they promise. OOS has its own file type for text documents, it is termed .odo, but .txt files are supported too. Unfortunately, there is no way to convert files, e.g. from .odo to .doc or .pdf and vice versa. Unsupported files can be uploaded and shared (e.g. Word documents), but to open them they must be downloaded to the local computer. This is a point that needs to be addressed by the developers.

There are however a couple more online desktop tools worth mentioning…

DeskopTwo

DesktopTwo is similar to iCUBE and I hesitated as to which of the two I would introduce in detail. I decided for iCUBE as it more closely resembles the Windows interface and at this point there are no ads.

Just as iCUBE, Desktoptwo offers 1GB online storage, an integrated mail account and pretty much an online version of your operating system. The storage capacity can be increased and I assume that the desktop ads will vanish when customers pay for this update. One of the major differences between iCUBE and Desktoptwo is the user interface. It takes a moment to get used to, but then it’s just as if you changed the skin of your Windows.

The advantage of Desktoptwo is the integrated Open Office. Although it does not open within the online desktop window, but rather in a new window/tab, this theoretically enables you to open Word documents without having to rely on software installed on the local computer. Practically however I had some difficulties. A Word document I uploaded would not load at all and I was not able to open a functional session in order to create a new document. I finally managed once, but after that I was stuck in a waiting line.

Another advantage is the integrated POP mail client. Quite honestly I have to admit I did not try whether it works, but at least it’s there and should work. That’s a big plus compared to iCUBE.In addition to the application found on OOS, there is an RSS reader, a calendar, a WYSIWYG web page editor, a blog publishing platform, and a local search engine. There is no intuitive way of sharing your files with other users. If the feature does exist at all, I did not discover it. I saw a Share option for Open Office, but that one seemed broken just as the rest of the suite. Overall I found Desktoptwo to be laggy and somewhat inflexible, although it does offer a few more features than OOS’s iCUBE.

MyGoya

MyGoya attempts to imitate the Mac theme, but doesn’t go all the way. It is however visually impressive. The welcome window seen in the screen shot below is very helpful for getting started.

Again the features are similar, but much more attention has been given to detail and the interface is very stylish. Unlike the previous two tools, you do not receive a new eMail address with MyGoya. The provided email client purely serves the purpose of handling your existing POP mail accounts. The integrated Office is based on Zoho Writer and simply works, although documents load in a new window. The integrated chat client seems detached from other clients and intended for MyGoya users only. There are neat little details and options all over, for example being able to launch a second desktop within MyGoya. In one word: TRY!

Glide

The free version of Glide comes with 2GB of storage. It’s stylish, it has all the important applications including Office support, and you can even sync your files between multiple computers!

But it’s not perfect. It is a bit laggy, many applications open in a new window, for example Office and email, and the icons and windows are huge, taking up way too much space on this online desktop. It’s really the sync feature that sets this one apart from the other tools. And it has an innovative look – like it or not.

CosmoPOD

Despite being sponsored with ads, CosmoPOD sounded very promising. Over 50 applications to chat, email, surf, write, including Office support and then came the disappointment. It needs to install something on the computer. Only once, but hey, what is the point if I want to use this anywhere on the world, including public computers, where I won’t be allowed to install anything? Hence I decided to not go further into this tool, but it has been mentioned.

Desktop on Demand

Desktop on Demand (DoD) seems more complete than most of the other applications. It looks great, it feels great, but there only is a 29 days free trial, after that it costs a little (packages start at £3.99 per month – $8), but it’s probably worth it if you’re serious about taking your desktop online. Check out the preview below.

YouOS

I first logged in to YouOS as a demo user and what I saw while the user was being created was this:

“It’s supposed to be a challenge, it’s a shortcut! If it were easy it would just be the way.”

A quote from a pretty good movie.

This is Alpha software and as such it naturally comes with flaws. It is not stylish, not as well thought out, but it does have its upsides. For example notes (stickies) can be saved to the desktop, something iCUBE can’t do. It doesn’t seem laggy and the features are those found in the other applications, minus Office support. Overall it’s redundant, since it does not offer anything new or more advanced. But I have to admit that this is a first look impression, I did not sign up with YouOS after seeing the demo.

Pytagor

What makes Pytagor different from the others is being able to add tags to your documents, search the net and save the results, create a group account, import bookmarks, and send the content of a folder with just one click.

It looks more like a file manager than a desktop. It’s straight, easy to use, no fuss, no glitz, and only 100Mb storage capacity. Check it out if you need it simple. That’s it! Are there any tools I missed? Any details that should be mentioned? Please use the comments to add your two cents, we seriously love to hear your opinion!

(By) This post was written by one of our regular authors, Tina from Recommended.

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New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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Here’s my list of some of the popular and most anticipated Web 2.0 sites that are still in private beta, but already have a pretty large following!

	Hulu is probably the one site I’ve heard the most about lately and that looks to have the most promise. Imagine being able to watch any of the most popular TV shows online for free including Heroes, Bones, 24, and the late night shows also! Plus all of the shows are in pretty good quality. It’s video on demand plus video sharing. It will also include shows from Bravo, Sci Fi, Sundance, etc
	Jooce is another very cool looking service that will help bring the desktop to the web, also called a web operating system. Basically, it’ll look just like your local desktop, but all of the processing, software installation, etc will take place on the server, thus freeing your local computer resources. As of right now, they have an IM client, file uploader, file sharing features and a few media players. Eventually, though, it will have photo editing apps, and office suite, and more! Jooce came out of private beat only couple of days ago.
	Adobe Cocomo is are components being developed by Adobe that will allow for real-time collaboration across web apps. If you haven’t played around with Adobe Buzzword, definitely check it out because Cocomo will add cool features to that such as real-time chat while you write documents and a shares real-time whiteboard.
	Lifestrea.ms is a powerful new lifestreaming service from Germany that aggregates all of your inbound and outbound activity online and manages it in one place. Other services like this are Tumblr and FriendFeed. It’s like an RSS reader and a social network rolled into one product. As more information is gathered from your online activity, a fuller profile is created.
	Xobni takes the effort out of organizing, searching, and navigating your email. It extends your IM (MSN, AIM, etc.) program and email client (Microsoft Outlook, etc.) by adding additional sidebar menu. View sender profile for each email (contact details, phone nr., social networking profiles, sent attachments, etc.), threaded conversations, extremely quick search, and more. [Video Demo]

Are you looking out for some other site to come out of private betta that you think will be even better? Go ahead and post a comment to let us know!

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

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