We all know what an Operating System is :

A Master Program that controls a computer’s basic functions and allows other programs to access the computer’s resources such as disk drive, printer, keyboard, and screen. (Source)

Or something similar. Well, for most of the folks, Windows is that Master Program. Some of us might even use a Mac, or a Linux (like me!). Also, when it comes to surfing the internet, most of us use Firefox (or Internet Explorer, or Opera, or Safari). Now why do I call Firefox a web OS? 

What does one do on an OS?Frankly speaking, common man does not care about how an Operating System accesses the system, runs processes, display windows, and all that techy stuff. What a user really interested in is getting things done. He wants to compose a letter and print it out, he wants to watch movies and listen to music, he wants to be abreast with the latest news and catch up with a few friends… You get the idea. These are the common tasks an average user performs. And the good news is — with the latest version of Firefox and a good selection of plugins, he can do all that.. within the browser. Welcome to Bliss!

Firefox is not just a browser, it is an Environment

With Firefox, a user is not just restricted to browsing the web only. With a slew of web applications doing rounds, the web has become a hell lot different. The best part is that, Firefox supports Addons (or extensions, or plugins, whatever you may call it), which can increase its functionality manifold. Over time, when people get used to their personal selection of extensions they use within Firefox, they start loving their setup, and find out that they spend most of the time with it! Its a software so organic — it actually stimulates the creative juices within a person. Just like some games, this web browser can be addictive too!

Firefox is packaged for the user

A single look at the Firefox Website and you will be mesmerized! As if in a celebration. The website is aesthetically designed and is one of the most beautiful on the internet. The site single-handedly convinces the visitor to click on the green download button.

The website, along with providing the download link and the related technical stuff, also lists all its innovative features in an innovative way. Not for a single moment a user feels that he is visiting the website of a software product. After all, they use of graphical characters to illustrate their web pages. Would you find such design in any other, say Microsoft website? Talk of Innovation!

All due to Web 2.0

With the advent of the next generation of web, where the end user creates content — be it on Blogs, Forums, Communities, and even platforms like Twitter — his participation is critical. Hence, there is a need to develop a user interface which is easy to use, can be tweaked and is extendable. Firefox meets all these requirements. Firefox is pretty, but is also the best Standards Compliant Browser around. Web developers and designers can be absolutely sure that their applications will run in the exact fashion as they have programmed them. When you make your PNG images transparent, they remain that way (in IE6, for example, transparent PNGs don’t show up correctly). The technologies used to develop Web 2.0 applications run best in Firefox.

Not just Browsing

As I said earlier, Firefox is not just about browsing web pages. It takes your internet experience to a very new level. Want to research on a topic? Try Zotero — An addon to Firefox that makes note taking, referencing and extracting information from well-known websites very easy. Want to write to your blog? Try ScribeFire, an addon that will make posting rich text and media to your blog very easy. Want to keep track of Twitter? Download TwitterFox — an addon that will check your Twitter account and alert you everytime a friend updates. Don’t like how your favorite websites look? Fire up the Stylish extension and define custom styles for websites like Gmail. Read a lot of blogs? Sage is a feed reader that easily integrates into Firefox.

Find it cool? Well.. read on!

Hey! What about MS Word?

When I propose to use Firefox as a Web OS, you should be able to do all things you do in an OS, right? What about writing a letter?

Help is not far away dude.. Google to the rescue!

Google has come up with Google Docs, an Online Office Suite comprising of a Word Processor, a Spreadsheet Program and a Presentation Application. Zoho and ThinkFree are some of the healthy alternatives, too. The concept of Online Office is going catching up very fast, and why not? Online Office has some unfair advantages. Since these are online services, you can access them anywhere around the world. All you need to remember is your login information. You can share your documents with others, and collaborate on a document. A perfect tool for a team exercise!

Other than Office Applications, you can read your favorite RSS Feeds on Google Reader, keep track of appointments and engegements using Google Calendar, and even chat with your friends using the built-in chat feature in GMail or the web-based chat in Meebo.

Lemme finish this up!

We’ve seen how some of the simplest tasks we perform on a PC can be done via a browser. We’ve seen how Firefox makes our life easier with all its addons. We’ve seen how we can literally live off the browser, without the need to fire up any other application on the PC. Hence my claim — Firefox is a Web OS. OS in this case might not necessarily mean the Operating System, it can mean Oasis — a shelter serving as a place of safety. Inside the browser, one can work with a great amount of productivity. One need not care about platforms at all — Firefox is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, and also as a portable edition. One need not care about data loss at all — since one is interacting with the web, most of the data is stored on secure servers. One need not care about getting disconnected (unless your internet connection gives away!). If only we had an option of discarding an operating system. If only we could boot up from Firefox!