Any Interest in a Linode Hosted Web OS?
Hi. My company has been building a web based operating system called Sharedigm that offers features such as photo and file sharing, photo viewing, social networking chat, music, managing your contacts, etc. Here's a bit more info:
Url:
https://www.sharedigm.com
About:
https://www.sharedigm.com/#about
Features:
https://www.sharedigm.com/#features
It's similar in concept to OwnCloud / NextCloud, if you are familiar with their offerings. You can try it out at www.sharedigm.com.
Right now, if you wanted to set up your own Sharedigm instance, you'd need to set up your own server, install the code, configure the database etc. which takes a bit of time and effort. We could potentially work with Linode to provide a push button set up so you could easily and effortlessly create your own instance running on Linode's servers.
This would be a viable alternative to services like Google Drive, Dropbox etc. but with a superior user experience and control over your own data. I think it would be super for small companies that want to control their own data.
Is this is something we should pursue? Do you care about taking back control over your own data? Are you willing to look at another product with a better user experience? Does anyone care about independence from the tech giants?
Thanks for your feedback!
-abe.
Abe Megahed
Founder, Sharedigm
www.sharedigm.com
7 Replies
watrick
Linode Staff
Thank you for your interest in partnering with Linode. The best way to work with us in this capacity would be to fill out the form on our Partners page.
We do offer the ability to install a custom distribution on your Linode, which means you can run other OS as well.
Finally, I wanted to let you know that I added this post as a feature request for other operating systems. That means our development team will review, though there's no guarantee that we would implement this.
Thanks. I had been debating whether or not to fill out the partner form. I think I'll go ahead and do that. I know of a few potential customers who I think would be interested in something like this.
At this stage, I know that it's still somewhat uncommon for companies and organizations to deploy their own solutions for things like this. Most organizations still rely upon centrally hosted solutions like Google Drive, Dropbox etc. I would love to be part of a movement away from centralized web services and I think if we can make it as easy as possible for people to set up their own (using Linode hosting), that would make a difference.
I was curious if Linode has considered offering customers a way to instantiate preconfigured Linodes set up with a cloud OS like Sharedigm or Nextcloud? I think it could be a significant new line of business for you, particularly given the expansion in remote work this year.
I was curious if Linode has considered offering customers a way to instantiate preconfigured Linodes set up with a cloud OS like Sharedigm or Nextcloud? I think it could be a significant new line of business for you, particularly given the expansion in remote work this year.
You can do this with various apps, either via the Marketplace (after submitting the partner form) or by creating a community StackScript, which is exactly what you said - a script that pre-configures a new Linode by installing software, etc.
Incidentally @watrick, I filled in the partner form the day after the marketplace was announced to get my own open-source app listed (about 2 months ago.) I haven’t heard anything back since. I contacted the support team and was advised they were aware of my application… still nothing.
watrick
Linode Staff
Stackscripts are a great tool for automating the deployment of software. If you're deploying a custom OS, they're not the best option since they require a valid OS in the creation field. Essentially, you'll need to create a Linode that then downloads a different OS. You're free to try this. I just didn't bring it up because it seemed like a janky workaround.
@andysh: I don't have insight into the process of following up, though I did reach out to the team responsible for that to see if I could get more information for you.
Thanks Andy. Yes, the Marketplace seems like the right place for something like this. Would it be better for me to submit to the Partner program or to the Marketplace App Partners program?
If you're deploying a custom OS, they're not the best option
Looking at the docs, Sharedigm runs on any standard LAMP stack, rather than being an OS itself.
I don't have insight into the process of following up, though I did reach out to the team responsible for that to see if I could get more information for you.
That would be appreciated, thanks. Even if it’s a “no, we don’t think your app is suitable for the marketplace” so I know and can either stop bothering you or have a discussion with someone to understand why.
Andy,
Yes, you're right - it runs on a standard LAMP stack. It's a web OS rather than a native OS.
It's an OS in the sense that there's an API that delivers system resources such as access to the file system, window management, etc. and you can build apps on top of it the way you would a native OS. Given that there's not really a better term, I think it's fair to call it an OS even if it's not written in C or running natively.
You could call it an "cloud application platform" or something, but that's equally confusing to most people and it looks and feels just like an OS so it seems clearer to call it a web OS. Hope that helps to clarify!