[romarioc]

If you were to build an Browser based OS for a phone, what would be the best way to do this. Is striping down android a good way or would you have to build the OS from the ground up?

[Lemur]

If you have to ask that question I would seriously advise you to rethink attempting this.

Before I would detail it, you need to answer some questions for yourself:

Why do you need to make a Browser Based OS?
What does it do that makes it special?
...is this already present in Android/iPhone even in apps/jailbreaks/mods?
How much programming experience do you have?
What is your knowledge level with the intricacies of the Linux/BSD kernel?
...do you know how to customize a kernel?

If you're having difficulty with those questions I would not consider such a large venture. You need to critically self evaluate before taking up a project that could take months to develop (...and months only if you're a highly trained professional at that, years or decades if not.)

I would suggest instead becoming intimately familiar with a Unix type OS and all of its workings. This will give you a substantial base to work from in creating an OS and how they really should work. I would recommend OpenBSD to learn, but it's not for the mild hearted. Using a Unix type OS for a few months does not constitute intimate, I refer to easily 5+ years if you're focused.

Even with only being browser based you'd be hard pressed without any of this knowledge.

[romarioc]

Lemur, on 29 January 2012 - 12:43 AM, said:

If you have to ask that question I would seriously advise you to rethink attempting this.

Before I would detail it, you need to answer some questions for yourself:

Why do you need to make a Browser Based OS?
What does it do that makes it special?
...is this already present in Android/iPhone even in apps/jailbreaks/mods?
How much programming experience do you have?
What is your knowledge level with the intricacies of the Linux/BSD kernel?
...do you know how to customize a kernel?

If you're having difficulty with those questions I would not consider such a large venture. You need to critically self evaluate before taking up a project that could take months to develop (...and months only if you're a highly trained professional at that, years or decades if not.)

I would suggest instead becoming intimately familiar with a Unix type OS and all of its workings. This will give you a substantial base to work from in creating an OS and how they really should work. I would recommend OpenBSD to learn, but it's not for the mild hearted. Using a Unix type OS for a few months does not constitute intimate, I refer to easily 5+ years if you're focused.

Even with only being browser based you'd be hard pressed without any of this knowledge.

I am contemplating building a business around this idea, I would employ a team of experience engineers to develop this OS. This is why I asked such a question, the plan would be to develop a small browser based OS for a cheap cell phone where all the content is delivered to it from the cloud. This would allow the development of a BBM-like IM client and other features and benefits the cloud has to offer over a period of time. I came here to find out the feasibility and practicality of such a project.

[Lemur]

Feasible yes, but that's something you'd need to get together a rather large group for. The thing is that this forum is mainly home to people that would try and make something like this themselves rather than a question of feasibility. The main thing about tech: If you can dream it you can more than likely do it. The question is then capital. If you have enough money you can get anything made.

[romarioc]

I see, well if the forum is not the right place for a question like this, would you be able to discuss this idea elsewhere?

[Lemur]

Probably more to the lines of a freelance programmers site to start the job. I will warn you that this level of project will require a LOT of money, and you will be ignored if you mention the word free, or pay when we make money, or any other such thing.