So my LD40 submission was JobOS, a game where you play with an imaginary Operating System https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/jobos

The creation of the interface was directly inspired by this:

This is BeOS, an OS from the 90's which at the time was very advanced. You could resize the window playing a movie and it will not skip a beat. Yeah it was a different time. The System was also internet ready and was also one of the first OS having real multitasking (it could even take advantage of multiple CPU, crazy!!)

I used BeOS as main main OS for a couple of years. I've been always fond of its aesthetic: The bright yellow tab-like title bar (did you know you could shift the position of the title bar?!), the colorful isometric icons. It was so great.

So when I started to work on the game, I tried to use the colour code of BeOS to replicate its feel. But I tried to simplify as much as I can to be able to finish it in 48 hours. I ended up with an operating system being a hybrid of GUI and CLI, because let's be honest creating a full interface would have been crazy. I really like the crazy hybrid nature of having window but interacting mainly through a command line. I feel this is the type of unnatural product that could have been created by an out-of-touch company at the time to appear modern while keeping their technology an user base happy.

During the whole week-end I resisted to not make a task bar. I really wanted one but, my focus was on finishing the game and it was not essential. But in the last 10 minutes I thought I would do one and I ended up with the current version. I failed to replicate the elegance of the original BeOS, but at least it's there and it has a functional clock. :clock4:

Some of you recognised the influence of BeOS right away which I'm really about and hopefully some of you learned a bit more about this fantastic OS.