Devlog: Zenith Shell - Getting the Orbital OS off the groundEntry 1: The “Why”
I finally started working on Zenith Shell, my web-based OS. I’ve always been obsessed with those old NASA mission control screens, so I decided to make my own version. The goal is to make it look like a real desktop environment, but with a space-tech vibe. Entry 2: The Architecture Struggle
I spent way too long trying to figure out how to structure this so it wouldn’t become a mess. I decided to break it down into modules: core.js for the main stuff, vfs.js for the file system, and windowManager.js for the windows. It took a few tries, but having it decoupled like this makes it a lot easier to fix things when I break them. Entry 3: Building the Virtual File System (VFS)This was the hardest part so far. I wanted files to actually persist, so I’m using localStorage. Writing the CRUD operations (creating, reading, updating, deleting) was a huge pain, but now I can actually save folders and files and they stay there when I refresh.Entry 4: The Aesthetic (Mission Control)
I’m really digging the “Cyber-Violet” theme. I spent all night playing with CSS grid and flexbox to get the glass blur effects right. It finally looks like something you’d see in a high-tech orbital command center. Entry 5: Current Status & Next StepsThe terminal is working well enough to navigate the VFS, and the arcade games (Minefield, Comet Snake) are running. Next, I need to finish up the telemetry dashboard to track the system uptime.I still have a lot of debugging to do—it’s definitely not perfect yet—but it’s coming along. Resetting the OS via the settings panel clears the data, which I’m glad I implemented so I can wipe it clean when I need to test a fresh start.