Orbiter OS

[luki1997a]

Hey, I don't know if it's proper place for this thread(so move it if it is in wrong place)
Imagine that you are going to your grandma or family far away and for long time. Fortunatiely they've got computer and you plug in your USB, start Orbiter OS and play Orbiter, visit OF and OHM! You can enjoy your Orbiter on every computer. Installing Orbiter on pendrive is not a good idea, because every pc have diffrent hardware or even software so Orbiter may not work. With Orbiter OS your Orbiter will be pre-configured and everything will be running fine, even if computer has not hdd!
System will be bulit on WinPE(Windows Preinstallation Envrimoment) and loads completly to RAM(needs at least 512MB-1GB) Orbiter will be installed on pendrive(will not load to ram) and configured to work with Orbiter OS.
Little schema:

USB=Orbiter OS==>(Loads to ram)
=Orbiter <======^ loads Orbiter(not to ram)

So, it's possible and 100% legal(because developing WinPE is legal). You will be able to enjoy orbiter everywhere without installing it and making any changes of PC. I was making "Phoenix OS" in past, so I know how to do it.
BUT! I need help. I can not make it alone. I need help with:
-searching files
-fixing CTD's, bluescreens and etc.
-searching for software
There is a lot of work do to. I'll be writing programs, and preparing system(Graphics, system files etc.).

So, if anybody is intrested in it may write it here or PM me. Work may take 2-3 months.

What do you think about whole OS?

 

[jedidia]

That's got to be one of the more bizare Ideas I heard this month... :blink:

Installing Orbiter on pendrive is not a good idea, because every pc have diffrent hardware or even software so Orbiter may not work.

As long as the computer has Windows, there won't be a lot of problems, really, other than you having to install the VC runtimes manually.

 

[Artlav]

Not worth the overcomplication.
Grandma with a Linux computer is a peculiar sight (unless it's a Skype phone only PC), so you can expect Windows there. If it have Windows, it can run Orbiter. If it can't, special OS won't help anyway.

 

[Spacethingy]

A good thing about OOS would be that it would only have to update whenever Martin writes a new Orbiter version...

Seriously though, is there such a thing as portable VC runtimes? That would help solve the pen-drive problems.

 

[Artlav]

Seriously though, is there such a thing as portable VC runtimes? That would help solve the pen-drive problems.

No. Microsoft explicitly broken the portability of them to "prevent DLL hell by unregulated distribution".
I.e. you can't just put the DLLs along with your program, you'll have to use the f...ing installer instead.

But i guess installing them is no mean task, so nothing is really lost.

 

[jedidia]

Seriously though, is there such a thing as portable VC runtimes? That would help solve the pen-drive problems.

If by portable you mean that you don't have to download them, sure. They're even included in the orbiter download (see in install-folder).

I.e. you can't just put the DLLs along with your program, you'll have to use the f...ing installer instead.

oh right... you're suffering installerophobia, if I remember correctly :lol:

 

[Spacethingy]

If by portable you mean that you don't have to download them, sure.

I meant like Orbiter itself is portable if you want - it doesn't need registry stuff so you can run it anywhere.

Like at college, I "install" portable applications like... well... Orbiter...
And Dropbox. But it doesn't work awfully well.

 

[luki1997a]

Does VC++ libraries fix also problems with ".*.*.*configuration of this application is incorrect.*.*.*"(or something like that)?
But look at whole OS. Won't it be cool to have an OOS? Orbiter will be then only simulator which have it's own os:lol: Two months of work and you have cool Orbiter OS, which runs everywhere and fits Orbiter. You start OS and a message: What do you want to do? and choices: "Run Orbiter" "Check O-F" "Check OH" "Develop add-ons" and "nothing for now". And you have a good os(taking some ram) with no unnessecary programs installed.

I've possibility to create this OS. So my final question is:

Do you want Orbiter OS?​

 

[garyw]

Orbiter OS? No absolutely not.

The amount of work required to turn a simulator into an OS is quite a lot. You'll need to the ability to write to a disk which means you'll need to understand how to access hardware which means drivers... then it all gets messy.

leave orbiter being good at what it does - a space simulation.

 

[Rtyh-12]

If you want to... well sure, go ahead. It will be cool!

But extremely pointless. Two months of work wasted on a project that wouldn't really even do any good, since you can play Orbiter on any Windows machine. And it's much easier than installing an OS on it. But, if you want to, I won't try to stop you.

Another thing that could help you. Instead on focusing it on Orbiter, you could focus it on the Internet. Maybe if you do that we will one day have our own Google Chrome OS- kind of OS

 

[Pablo49]

Instead on focusing it on Orbiter, you could focus it on the Internet. Maybe if you do that we will one day have our own Google Chrome OS- kind of OS

Only thing is, at that point it wouldn't be Orbiter OS more than it would just be it's own OS with the Orbiter name slapped on it.

That doesn't mean I support an Orbiter OS, btw, I think it's a laughably bad idea.

 

[luki1997a]

Orbiter OS? No absolutely not.

The amount of work required to turn a simulator into an OS is quite a lot. You'll need to the ability to write to a disk which means you'll need to understand how to access hardware which means drivers... then it all gets messy.

leave orbiter being good at what it does - a space simulation.

With sim is not a lot of work. Orbiter which is desinged to OOS will also run on every Windows machine. THERE WON'T BE ANY CHANGES TO ORBITER. So, you can put your orbiter into OOS and it should be running. OOS is a portable and legal Windows installation. So also 70-80% of Win programs should also be running on it.

And I'm not turning Orbiter into a OS but creating OS running Orbiter.

So, I'll make a little demo showing how OOS will work.

P.S. Artlav, I've seen your Aprom os. Good work:lol:

 

[garyw]

With sim is not a lot of work. Orbiter which is desinged to OOS will also run on every Windows machine. THERE WON'T BE ANY CHANGES TO ORBITER. So, you can put your orbiter into OOS and it should be running. OOS is a portable and legal Windows installation. So also 70-80% of Win programs should also be running on it.

So.. you are going to rewrite windows? In two months?

I can't wait to see this.

 

[Ripley]

I think all this is quite pointless.
Orbiter in itself is already portable enough.

 

[luki1997a]

So.. you are going to rewrite windows? In two months?

I can't wait to see this.

:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:
Please read my first post. System will be running on WinPE technology, which is 100% legal
Please read earlier post before commenting.

 

[Urwumpe]

:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:
Please read my first post. System will be running on WinPE technology, which is 100% legal

Why not Windows? Why an Orbiter OS distribution?

I can just agree to the rest, this all smells of actionism. You try fixing a problem, that people don't have.

 

[luki1997a]

Why not Windows?QUOTE]

WinPE = Windows Preinstallation Envrimoment
It's a preinstalled Windows in a single file(archive) so, while running it you can even delete Windows folder(impossible, but if you delete sys files) at next startup you have a normal win with no changes made(image is not saved), but Orbiter will be running fine and it won't be not included in archive, but on USB. So you can make changes to it. WinPE is legal and free.

More about WinPE: [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Preinstallation_Environment"]Windows Preinstallation Environment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

[Urwumpe]

More about WinPE: Windows Preinstallation Environment - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Its not Windows. Even if it starts with Windows. It is just a minimal operating system, like Microsoft had been using for years during the installation of their OS.

Everything that you need for running Orbiter is missing there.

 

[Artlav]

WinPE is legal and free.

Except that you have to have Windows bought already, and you can't distribute it.
You can only distribute a howto, which kind of defies the purpose.

Now, ReactOS could have been a better choice, but alas it's in no shape to carry weight yet.

Linux variations can work, but Orbiter support in Wine is still patchy.

Making an OS from pure zero is pure work you can only do alone for fun, or in a team for large money, taking years in any case.

I fail to see the problem you want to solve.
Why not design a SoC system or a board for explicit purpose of running Orbiter then?

 

[luki1997a]

Its not Windows. Even if it starts with Windows. It is just a minimal operating system, like Microsoft had been using for years during the installation of their OS.

Everything that you need for running Orbiter is missing there.

Yes, everything is missing from a clean install of WinPE. BUT I've been developing Phoenix OS and I've al necessary files. chance of this running will be 60-80%. Hardware is thing no. 1

Its not Windows.

Yes it is, but it's something like a microkernel.

EDIT: Here you've got screenshot from Phoenix OS
EDIT2:

Except that you have to have Windows bought already, and you can't distribute it.

We are not able to provide you legal advice or counseling. Each tool has an associated EULA for your reference and review. Perhaps a better question is about support. Use of WinPE (VistaPE) and other Microsoft tools are supported based on the terms of the associated EULA. Supported means that the software has been tested and we can provide assistance in resolving issues. Third party tools are supported by the manufacturer of those tools. This is no way implies that the tools are good or bad. It simply means that we are unable to support the use of the tool or the effects of the tool.

Steve Smegner
Application Development Consulting Group

at: http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/...s/thread/053149a1-f277-4a0c-85df-92931fb5873b