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Browsers. Browsers are de facto operating systems (though typically running on another OS, not on bare metal), and they don't think in files. They handle window

Browsers. Browsers are de facto operating systems (though typically running on another OS, not on bare metal), and they don't think in files. They handle windows, tabs, documents, document elements (DOM nodes) etc.

umanwizard 12y ago
> Browsers are de facto operating systems (though typically running on another OS, not on bare metal) What does this mean? Are you defining "operating system" loosely enough that you could also count the JVM, for example?
- perlgeek 12y ago
  Good question; I don't have single definition for "operating system". The Wikipedia page for Operating Systems says "An operating system (OS) is software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs", and by that definition, the JVM would count as one. Though most users also expect some GUI/Desktop from an OS, and that's what browsers offer, but not the JVM. (The JVM allows programs to have a GUI, but it doesn't have a GUI itself, for example for launching other programs).
  - frou_dh 12y ago
    As used in the gaming world, "platform" conveys approximately the same thing and likely wards offs nitpicking about what is and isn't a kernel etc.
vezzy-fnord 12y ago
You could actually make a far better case for Emacs being an operating system rather than a browser, what with the former not having as many security and sandboxing restrictions. That and you can actually boot from Emacs: http://www.informatimago.com/linux/emacs-on-user-mode-linux.html http://www.informatimago.com/linux/emacs-on-user-mode-linux.... Really, by your definition, any piece of software with a plugin-based architecture is an operating system. There's certainly a trend we're witnessing where, for the end user, the browser is displacing the underlying operating system, and turning the latter into an environment for hosting the former. But to call the browser an OS is a huge stretch.
- perlgeek 12y ago
  > You could actually make a far better case for Emacs being an operating system rather than a browser, what with the former not having as many security and sandboxing restrictions. But security and sandbox restrictions are very important elements of an OS, don't you think?

umanwizard 12y ago

> Browsers are de facto operating systems (though typically running on another OS, not on bare metal) What does this mean? Are you defining "operating system" loosely enough that you could also count the JVM, for example?

perlgeek 12y ago
Good question; I don't have single definition for "operating system". The Wikipedia page for Operating Systems says "An operating system (OS) is software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs", and by that definition, the JVM would count as one. Though most users also expect some GUI/Desktop from an OS, and that's what browsers offer, but not the JVM. (The JVM allows programs to have a GUI, but it doesn't have a GUI itself, for example for launching other programs).
- frou_dh 12y ago
  As used in the gaming world, "platform" conveys approximately the same thing and likely wards offs nitpicking about what is and isn't a kernel etc.

vezzy-fnord 12y ago

You could actually make a far better case for Emacs being an operating system rather than a browser, what with the former not having as many security and sandboxing restrictions. That and you can actually boot from Emacs: http://www.informatimago.com/linux/emacs-on-user-mode-linux.html http://www.informatimago.com/linux/emacs-on-user-mode-linux.... Really, by your definition, any piece of software with a plugin-based architecture is an operating system. There's certainly a trend we're witnessing where, for the end user, the browser is displacing the underlying operating system, and turning the latter into an environment for hosting the former. But to call the browser an OS is a huge stretch.

perlgeek 12y ago
> You could actually make a far better case for Emacs being an operating system rather than a browser, what with the former not having as many security and sandboxing restrictions. But security and sandbox restrictions are very important elements of an OS, don't you think?