Summary

This page gathers the applications part of the DeforaOS desktop environment. The aim is to provide a complete, featureful user interface suitable for desktop workstations, laptops, tablets, smartphones and possibly more platforms.

Description

This environment is an essential part of the project because a graphical user interface is a visual and intuitive way to demonstrate the concepts introduced in DeforaOS.

In any case, these applications are developed with great care for usability and consistency. A strong focus is also placed on their flexibility, with the possibility to integrate them all together, while each remaining an independent project. Considering embedded use in particular, the same code is used on these platforms, with the user interface simply adapted for performance, finger-based user interaction, and smaller screen sizes.

These applications are currently based on the Gtk+ toolkit. DeforaOS' own graphical sub-system (based on the GServer and GToolkit projects) may be used instead eventually (possibly through a port of Gtk+ for these projects).

Components

1. libDesktop
2. Browser
3. Panel
4. Phone
5. Surfer
6. Editor
7. Keyboard
8. Mixer
9. Locker
   
10. Framer
11. Mailer
12. Player
13. Todo
14. PDFViewer
    
15. XMLEditor
16. Accessories
17. Coder
18. Calendar
19. Clock
20. HexEditor
21. Presenter
    
22. Installer
    

Global tasks

• listing of files through the file browser
• displaying the most common file types through the file browser (text, images)
• displaying the files available directly on the desktop
• launching applications directly on the desktop
• using and monitoring the system through configurable panels
• providing a functional smartphone environment (optional)
• accessing the World Wide Web
• editing text files
• providing means of input relevant to finger and stylus-based user interaction
• setting the sound levels
• improving the usability of multi-tasked desktops
• sending and receiving e-mails
• playing audio and video content
• tracking tasks
• viewing PDF files
  
• editing XML files
• editing configuration files
• facilitating the development of the complete environment
• connecting to other hosts remotely
  
• integrating the DeforaOS VFS sub-system
• integrating the other concepts introduced by DeforaOS
  

Current status

The first official version of this environment as a whole was released on September 20th 2010, as packaged within the hackable:1 distribution. The aim was to implement a functional, Open Source smartphone. This goal was achieved for the most part, the biggest challenge remaining being declining and configuring the environment for modern telephony hardware.

More generally, most applications are completely usable on either desktop or embedded use. Compliance to current desktop standards (XDG) is not optimal in some areas (file associations, drag & drop...) but this is being worked on.