Context: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKzRf8B-oDk

Would it be possible to run mpv and a browser directly on hardware somehow? Perhaps in an environment that doesn’t classify as an operating system according to the definition in those California codes?

I know that an operating system distributes workloads and facilitates communication between various hardware components, but would it be possible to build a Linux kernel that is “only” an interface to the CPU, a GPU, a sound card and a keyboard? One that can take commands to run for instance a browser[1] and mpv? Having the user manually - through commands of physical switches - handle the inter component communication? Or perhaps by being a kernel it already falls under the definition of an OS?

I’m just spitballing here. Barely know what I’m talking about, so please enlighten me! :D

  1. Nowadays, a browser feels like a container that can run most things a physical computer would: stream media, serve as a word processor, play simple games, what have you. ↩︎

  • emotional_soup_88@programming.devOPEnglish
    3·
    8 hours ago

    Thank you for a very insightful comment, touching on both technical and semantic aspects. For the uninitiated, perhaps the technical aspects of a computer are not as important as the user experience. Of course, legislators are getting more and more technically knowledgeable so trying to rebel against OS age verification by simply cosmetically making a computer different from your typical desktop like systems might not suffice…

    Nevertheless, I did not know about Cage! At least now I know how the hacks make those IoT control panels with their SBCs! Perhaps I’ll set up something cool in my living room like… A weather forecast screen? The stock market? Live GPU prices? :D

    • Oinks@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      2·
      6 hours ago

      Of course, legislators are getting more and more technically knowledgeable so trying to rebel against OS age verification by simply cosmetically making a computer different from your typical desktop like systems might not suffice…

      I’m admittedly not especially familiar with how law is practiced in the US but in my opinion trying to skirt the letter of the law while blatantly violating its intention is usually a bad idea. The more you piss off prosecutors and judges the more effort they will put into finding something to prosecute you over, and it also makes them more likely to push for the harshest fines/convictions that are legally possible.

      Of course unfortunately a lot of the time the law is just bullshit, and this particular bill appears to have at least a few issues, but still…

      Nevertheless, I did not know about Cage! At least now I know how the hacks make those IoT control panels with their SBCs! Perhaps I’ll set up something cool in my living room like… A weather forecast screen? The stock market? Live GPU prices?

      For completeness sake, Cage isn’t the only way to do this. Gamescope is another popular “kiosk compositor”, notably used by the Steam Deck (in the “Deck mode”). And of course the same thing is possible with X window managers as well, Openbox seems to be a popular choice for X11 kiosks.

      • mkwlink@lemmy.ml
        1·
        4 hours ago

        You can run a GUI app directly on the X server without a separate WM by the way.