Featured web desktops

[SMUsamaShah]

Hi, this collection is great and I have been watching for all updates and usually checkout every new addition.

Some time ago I went through all of the web desktops in the list. What I found was that only a handful of these are high quality and worth checking out. My top picks are windows93 and windows96. Rest of them are mostly just non functional UI mockups featuring a few movable widgets/windows/dualogs and nothing else.

I think you should consider adding a new "Featured" section listing your own handful favourites. This might also encourage people to submit higher quality desktops or to polish them a bit more.

[syxanash]

Hi @SMUsamaShah that is a great suggestion, but I'll have to have a think about it.
While some of these websites are definitely experimental and incomplete, they still hold great value for people who want to get inspired creating their own. Especially when these are also open sourced.
We could create an Experimental category where we have websites that are a bit more buggy and broken.
What websites do you think would belong to this category? I'm curious to see your point of view

[SMUsamaShah]

Going through the list randomly.

• Don't know what makes its a web desktop other than few stylized buttons http://cyberspaceandtime.com/Gaano9Y6KAU.video+related
• some moveable widgets but not all https://wwwtxt.org/tagged/img https://wwwtxt.org/about
• some random picks https://erd-os.iamerd.xyz/ https://wuerfeldev.de/imprint https://jackadam.cc/?Statement https://thecodingforge.com.au/ https://www.browso.app/
• not even movable windows, most icons buttons are non-funct https://56k-modem.online/
• also https://violet.pm/ https://cobradile.neocities.org/

There are loads of unique things in here. Most are experimental already. windows93/96 are my picks but if you go through the list, there are many functional and unique ones.

[syxanash]

oh I see your point, and what would be your definition of functional ones? (such as windows93/96) like what kind of functionality list would qualify these for a Featured web desktop?

I'm just trying to understand your point of view a bit more and see if I could create different sub categories.

[SMUsamaShah]

While picking these out for you I was rethinking what is considered as a web desktop. Looking at these it felt like if a UI has at least a feeling (not functionality necessarily) that it was part of a desktop OS, it will qualify as web desktop. IMO, the first link above fits that criteria.

like what kind of functionality list would qualify these for a Featured web desktop?

In my head the most faithful recreations of desktop OS experience should be featured. Along with some other unique and quality ones. This list will definitely not include UIs with fake buttons and windows.

Picking up from your response "sub categories" is a much better idea. Some of these try to simulate faithful and full desktop experience e.g. Windows93 (there are few others). Some are portfolios or CVs where a dev showed off they can make floating widgets and a desktop with open able icons etc. Some are unique experiences like the restart one which simulates restarting of various OSes. There are some musical ones. Some might go into a misc category.

There can be a few groups overall. And it actually might be more encouraging than just the featured or experimental category.

From the links I gave as examples, do you think they are all web desktops and just need better grouping?

[syxanash]

You're very right, a lot of websites have a web desktops designs in principle but have lots of UI mockups without functionality. I still add them to the list because of the creativity and other experiences they might give the user.

I can list a few actually, The Restart, Windows 1.0, glenda., while these have a web desktop metaphor as a base they might lack that full experience you mentioned earlier. Let me see if with a bit of brainstorming we could group these better.