Suprablog HQ

Some people have complained that with the management structure and organization of Linux, it’s hard to take a big-picture perspective that a product manager might take, thinking about integrations across and along the entire stack of an operating system. For example, one of the benefits of a “database filesystem” would be that many services and applications of an OS could utilize it, but overcoming a chicken-vs-egg problem across so many different projects within Linux, it’s hard to imagine that anything could get broad enough support quickly enough.

People following suprablog by now should know that Ubuntu is the preferred OS of SupraSphere. Therefore, it’s natural that we would think of integration deep within Ubuntu as if boundaries didn’t exist.

The truth is, SupraSphere has a good chance of becoming a key piece of Ubuntu and the evolving Linux Desktop story. The reason is that it has conceptual attributes that will allow Linux to innovate and leapfrog other approaches. These attributes are these general areas: services-oriented desktop (web os/desktop), end-to-end security, database filesystem, and virtualization.

Running SupraSphere is in fact like running a virtual desktop. It can store all of your files, bookmarks, rss feeds, contacts, and email all in one place, where you can search across them. It has extremely secure messaging and authentication (beyond SSH and SSL even). You can tag across all message types. You can search and view your desktop remotely. It’s the ideal system to fit in with the virtualization trends that are emerging. We already have four distinct and separate user interfaces that all share messaging protocols and the same data store: Eclipse RCP, plain servlet, RAP ajax UI, openlaszlo, and even a prototype XUL interface.

That said, there are of course problems. We don’t even have a .deb or .rpm packaged version of our system. While we have connections within the Eclipse, Mozilla, Sun/Java, and Apache communities, we have little or no exposure within the the Linux ecosystem, especially within the Ubuntu community.

We feel very strongly that if Ubuntu were to embrace the ideas within our project, it would leapfrog it above and beyond any other distribution, and help lead the way to Linux Desktop bliss.

Please help. Now is the time. With Java and Linux becoming closer, with MySQL now a part of Sun, SupraSphere can tie in numerous different communities and projects, and propel the Linux desktop way ahead of the competition.

If you have experience with Linux (especially Ubuntu), Java, or Ajax, please contact us to volunteer your efforts.