official Fusion OS

[.Neo]

The latest concept has a more unique look to it. I would add some gradients and maybe drop shadows so the whole thing looks less flat.

I think it would look cool if you made the notification / Menu Extras area vertical instead of horizontal.

[Kreuger]

I like that look in the latest. Im interested in seeing more!

[Pow]

Nevermind something went wrong with post lol

[xxxxxx.xxxxxx]

As much as i like to see developers contribute to the open-source world of Linux, it deflates me to see developers simply remix a currently established distribution.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but i would like to see developers take their new ideas and rather than build them on top of existing systems build their system from scratch, build a package manager of their own and perhaps use methods from different WMs to build a new improved WM of their own. Now before i bring on the wrath of people here i do understand the difficulties involved with this, I myself have tried to create a basic system using Linux From Scratch as a model and for someone with limited knowledge of developing systems and various coding languages i quickly realised that more reading and learning was needed before attempting it again.

Fusion OS sounds like it could be a good alternative OS, I just hope it wont turn out to be yet another bloated Linux install.

@OP, can you tell me do you have a functioning system built yet, or are these Photoshop mock-ups showing what your heading towards? Just curious. :)

[51028220]

As much as i like to see developers contribute to the open-source world of Linux, it deflates me to see developers simply remix a currently established distribution.

I'm not saying this is a bad thing, but i would like to see developers take their new ideas and rather than build them on top of existing systems build their system from scratch, build a package manager of their own and perhaps use methods from different WMs to build a new improved WM of their own. Now before i bring on the wrath of people here i do understand the difficulties involved with this, I myself have tried to create a basic system using Linux From Scratch as a model and for someone with limited knowledge of developing systems and various coding languages i quickly realised that more reading and learning was needed before attempting it again.

Fusion OS sounds like it could be a good alternative OS, I just hope it wont turn out to be yet another bloated Linux install.

@OP, can you tell me do you have a functioning system built yet, or are these Photoshop mock-ups showing what your heading towards? Just curious. :)

We have a working system at this point, with most of the UI implemented. Also we are not simply remixing a distro. We taking it in a whole new direction, and creating a unified experience, rebranding when necessary, we are creating spin-offs of most of the programs included in the OS so they will be updated and maintained by us, but only the ones included in the distro. Also this is by no means bloated. Very slim installation. I will post a size soon! Also more screens coming hopefully tomorrow, probably of asctual running system. Also we were thinking about making the notification bar auto-hide, and become visible with your mouse on it, it has a drop shadow to show you where it is. What do you guys think?

[Tanoru]

It seems to me that you are tackling the problems that stop Linux from having a substantial market share and that is the interface.

Good job and about time.

[xxxxxx.xxxxxx]

We have a working system at this point, with most of the UI implemented. Also we are not simply remixing a distro. We taking it in a whole new direction, and creating a unified experience, rebranding when necessary,

I'm glad to hear that you are not simply remixing a current distro.

we are creating spin-offs of most of the programs included in the OS so they will be updated and maintained by us, but only the ones included in the distro.

What do you mean by this, are you modifying current open-source applications to add more functionality, performance boosts or primarily redesign the UI of said applications to fit in with your "unified experience"? Also, when you say that they are going to be updated and maintained by you, will the updates and patches be release in an apt-get / port style method using custom repos or are you creating a new update distribution system?

Also this is by no means bloated. Very slim installation. I will post a size soon! Also more screens coming hopefully tomorrow, probably of asctual running system. Also we were thinking about making the notification bar auto-hide, and become visible with your mouse on it, it has a drop shadow to show you where it is. What do you guys think?

I certainly do hope that this system will have a small footprint, but looks good so far. Also i have another couple of questions for you;

• What kernel are you intending to release with FusionOS, current at the time or another?
  
• Will FusionOS be optimised for netbooks/small screens or have an option at install to fit smaller screens?
  

I hope you dont think I am trying to thwart your efforts here with all the constant questions, but I am quite interested in the FusionOS and want as much information, screens, videos etc before you release an alpha so I know whether or not to test it out :)

[51028220]

I'm glad to hear that you are not simply remixing a current distro.

What do you mean by this, are you modifying current open-source applications to add more functionality, performance boosts or primarily redesign the UI of said applications to fit in with your "unified experience"? Also, when you say that they are going to be updated and maintained by you, will the updates and patches be release in an apt-get / port style method using custom repos or are you creating a new update distribution system?

I certainly do hope that this system will have a small footprint, but looks good so far. Also i have another couple of questions for you;

• What kernel are you intending to release with FusionOS, current at the time or another?
  
• Will FusionOS be optimised for netbooks/small screens or have an option at install to fit smaller screens?
  

I hope you dont think I am trying to thwart your efforts here with all the constant questions, but I am quite interested in the FusionOS and want as much information, screens, videos etc before you release an alpha so I know whether or not to test it out :)

To your first question about the applications, yes the UI will be modified, branding will be modified, and we will be adding/removing things deemed necessarry or unnecessary and hopefully we will be using an update manager soon, but i dont think that will make it into the beta, we will have to wait and see on that one.

The kernel Fusion OS uses is the most current as of now, i believe that is 2.6.3x.x (i dont remember exactly)

Fusion OS will work fine on smaller screens, its not exactly optimized for that at this point but you should not have any problems.

I hope I answered all your questions! I hope people keep asking question we can add things like this to our FAQ archive that is soon to be on our site! Also there will be a bug tracker up soon a link to it will be on our site http://www.fusionos.net/

Thanks,

Keith.

[BoneyardBrew Member]

Your latest concept looks very fresh and original in comparison to Linux distros I've seen today. I like the idea of separating the notifications from the task bar to remove that "clutter", so to speak that invades the simplicity of the task bar itself.

You're headed in the right direction, and I am really looking forward to seeing some screenshots of the actual OS up and running! :)

[amon91]

I like the mockup overall, but unless you have an icon based taskbar, I'd suggest you make it thinner. It just seems to take up too much space, so does the notification area to be honest. Remember the focus needs to be your work, not OS shell.

[51028220]

Hey Everybody!

I wanted to give you all an update on where we are at on Fusion OS. First of all our team has expanded and now consists of me, Cosmin, Kletheron, and os lover. Second thing is that we have taken SimplyInnovation (the name behind Fusion OS) and we have renamed and we are now The Fusion Foundation and will be focusing on open source projects, and many other things to come. That will all be done in the next week and then you will be able to access The Fusion Foundations website at http://www.fusionfoundation.net/ , and Fusion OS at http://www.fusionos.net/.

We have been working very hard on fusion OS and some exciting news is that now our desktop is based on AWN (Avant Window Navigator) + Gnome. Which we will later merge into one product possibly FDE (Fusion Desktop Environment). I can't wait to show off a screenshot to everyone, and that will also come in the next week, with a beta coming in March! This release date is set in stone for a beta so be prepared. We are already passing around internal build with the new Desktop Environment and I must say it is looking quite nice.

Another thing we will be implementing is App Certification. If you want your app included in a future app store, or app catalog for Fusion OS then you will need to submit it to us and we will verify it, then your app will be "Fusion Certified". This lets users know that this app fully takes advantage of Fusion OS's capabilities and that their are no bugs or problems with compatibility. We will be opening the certification sometime later this year, you will be able to find more information about it on our site in the very near future. Also we will provide the latest alphas, and beta for you to test your application on before submitting it to us. I will come to you with more information very soon stay tuned!

- Keith.

[51028220]

Hey everybody,

So here is the final concept for Fusion OS. This is what the final product will look like! The interface is called "Melton" after an Australian city. Also we will be developing a small logo you can place on your products if they are "Fusion Certified". The Melton interface will be featured in Beta 1, and we will now refer to the UI as Melton and other UI elements. SO here is the image please leave your thoughts, and critiques. I will also post our new updated logo for Fusion. Please stay tuned as there will be a lot more to come from us in the next few days, and weeks.

- Keith.

[bjoswald]

Nice concept screenshot! It looks like it's taking shape nicely.

A few critiques:

The logo:

Looks high-quality, but I would bring the two smaller triangles together so that the logo looks more like a spiral. Right now, it looks like a broken futuristic TV. Also, would it be possible to have it animate when hovered/clicked? Maybe have the outer triangle rotate clockwise while the inner ones spin counterclockwise? Not continuously, mind you, but maybe one half rotation or something to get your attention.

The bottom panel:

It's way too thick. I would suggest reducing the size of the "pinned" icons or removing them altogether. I assume most people will replace them with their own shortcuts anyway.

The system area/notification menu:

Is there a way to have each applet pop up a nice bubble effect with more details as we hover over it (e.g. throughput/latency for the network applet, volume slider for the audio applet, etc.)? Also, is there an easy way to make it transparent, so we can use light backgrounds without distraction?

Not trying to nitpick, just a few suggestions.

[Darth Radeon]

This has really caught my interest, good work!

[nekkidtruth]

It's been a long time since a Linux distro was able to catch my eye. This does indeed look promising. That being said, I do have a few suggestions...

It looks like you're working towards a March beta release. That's exciting! With a beta so close to release, you may want to work on your website. From what I understand you have a "team" working on this project. It might be beneficial to assign one of said team members to complete the website. Especially the support section. Which leads to one glaring issue, there's absolutely no way to contact you or your team at all (I'm sorry but I personally don't consider Twitter to be a form of contact). No contact information at all. That's highly important, especially with a beta release so close don't you think?

This of course assumes that you don't already have a fully functional website waiting behind the curtain, ready to be released with the first beta, forums and all.

Moving along, I can't say that logo really does anything for me. In fact, the big huge space in the center really makes it look like something should be there and it brings down the simplicity and sleekness of the rest of the UI.

I've read through this thread and have seen that some feel you may have "bitten off more than you can chew" and I can't say I agree or disagree with them as there isn't a product to test yet. What I can tell you from what information is available to us, there is definitely a structure issue. There seems to be some disorganization with your team. This may not actually be true, but it does seem that way. You may be using all of your manpower to work on the release (Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that per se), but because of this other things are lacking such as the state of the website as mentioned above.

Sorry if I offended you in any way, that wasn't my intention. I'm just looking to provide some constructive criticism as your project will very soon be in the hands of anyone interested and you need to be prepared for that.

[.Neo]

It would be nice if you can resize the bottom bar to whatever size you want much like the Mac OS X Dock, rather than just choosing between sizes like on Windows 7. That's something I find really annoying about the Windows 7 taskbar.

[Syanide]

Absolutely love the looks of it. I'd only change the menu button icon, other than that, very nice. I've tweaked my current nix to look closely like that, but I'll be willing to try this out when it comes out.

[51028220]

Nice concept screenshot! It looks like it's taking shape nicely.

A few critiques:

The logo:

Looks high-quality, but I would bring the two smaller triangles together so that the logo looks more like a spiral. Right now, it looks like a broken futuristic TV. Also, would it be possible to have it animate when hovered/clicked? Maybe have the outer triangle rotate clockwise while the inner ones spin counterclockwise? Not continuously, mind you, but maybe one half rotation or something to get your attention.

The bottom panel:

It's way too thick. I would suggest reducing the size of the "pinned" icons or removing them altogether. I assume most people will replace them with their own shortcuts anyway.

The system area/notification menu:

Is there a way to have each applet pop up a nice bubble effect with more details as we hover over it (e.g. throughput/latency for the network applet, volume slider for the audio applet, etc.)? Also, is there an easy way to make it transparent, so we can use light backgrounds without distraction?

Not trying to nitpick, just a few suggestions.

Hi,

Thanks so much for all the feedback, I do not think you are nit picking this is the kind of feedback we need to make Fusion as good as it can be! I will answer your feedback/questions in the order you asked them:

- The bottom panel is resizable based on user preference, and when your actually using it, it is nice and not quite that thick in the actual build, there is not so much padding between the top and bottom of the icons.

- Yes you can make the notification area transparent, and if you click on an icon you will get a menu to interact with it.

Hope I answered all your questions,

- RKWJ25.

[Xerino]

Looks promising, will there be a sort of "Netbook Remix" since its based on Ubunutu, if so Id love to put it on my netbook come beta time

[AbandonedTrolley]

Looks interesting, will be looking out for this one!

[Zer0_II]

It looks nice, but I have to agree with a few critical issues brought up by others. The website desperately needs to be updated. I visited http://fusionos.net and the countdown says that the beta will be released in only 9 days. The website is far from complete. At this point you should have a fully functional website, with a thorough FAQ. You need to have a forum, as many people are no doubt going to flood you with questions. This forum thread simply will not do. Also, the Fusion Foundation website (can't remember the name off the top of my head) is down. I give you all the credit in the world for putting this together. I know that it is something that I could never do. However, I could put up a decent website with an FAQ and forum in less than a day. I can't think of a good excuse as to why your team hasn't done so already. I would not be willing to put my faith in an OS when such disorganization is apparent. Also, the start menu icon needs to go in my opinion. The mockup looks nice, but it looks very elementary when added to the menu bar. I almost thought that someone "drew" on the screenshot ala Gimp/Paint until I realized that was the icon. If you insist on using that icon I would at least follow Educated Idiot's advice and tighten it up a great deal. I would even be willing to design a logo for you myself if need be. I hope you don't find my comments offensive either. I have a great deal of respect for people willing to tackle such difficult projects, and I know that it is also difficult to maintain a positive outlook and continue to move forward in the face of such criticism. Just know that my words are only intended to help you improve your OS, rather than cause any sort of anxiety. I wish you and your OS the best of luck in the future.

[51028220]

Hey Everybody,

Well tomorrow is a pretty big Milestone in our development! The first public beta! Now you can try a pre-release version of Fusion OS for yourself. Now keep in mind this is nowhere near the final version but we want you to see that we are making progress, and let you see it first hand. The Beta will be available 6:00PM EST March 15, 2011. You will be able to download it from http://www.fusionos.net/ and please report your bugs here, or email them to us at [email protected] please read the Welcome document on the desktop to see if your bug is already known if it is please do not repost it. We will be keeping the download live as long as possible hopefully it will not be to slow for many people but these aren't the best servers in the world so we will see. I will attach a photo of the latest build compiled today, for you and it will be available TOMORROW. Talk to you all then.

- Keith.

[Holey]

Looks great!

The start menu looks a little... stolen though..

Maybe come up with a new use for this?

Also the file manager looks a little too brown. I know you're staying away from the bright colours and all, but honestly the biggest thing turning me off Ubuntu is the ridiculous amounts of brown!

[Syanide]

I know you're going to change the GTK theme, but still... Why this GTK theme??? :p

Looking good otherwise.

[.Neo]

Good job at copying the Windows Vista Start Menu, I guess? What else is there to say really...

There's not a shred of originality present in the screen shot, which is a shame really. Hell, you even stole the glass border around the user picture. :laugh: