A runtime environment for launching and using websites as desktop applications.
You can download the (unsigned) Ubuntu packages for Medes 0.0.4 here:
Older releases can be found here.
The code is maintained in a Git repository: git://seanhodges.co.uk/medes. If you are new to Git, visit http://www.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/docs/tutorial.html and scroll down to the "Using git for collaboration" section.
Medes is now on Launchpad. Unfortunately, there is currently no way to import Git repositories into Launchpad; so I will continue to host the source code and packages on this site. Please submit any bugs or ideas ("blueprints") onto the Launchpad site: www.launchpad.net/medes.
The concept of Medes is to provide a container for launching new and existing Web-based applications (such as Google Mail and Facebook). The container uses the Mozilla layout engine as a back-end to comply with the Web/Javascript demands from the client application, and communicates with an internal "runtime" layer to integrate with the host desktop environment.
The main objectives for this project are to:
The scope of the project is currently focused on Ubuntu-based distributions that use the GNOME desktop. Other distributions and desktop environments may be supported in the future.
There is not that much to see yet, the project is very new and a lot of the functionality is still to come. However, it is already very usable and works well as-is with most of the example applications provided.
In these early releases, the example applications are provided as part of a single debian package. They will be split into separate packages once this part of the development reaches completion. After installation, you can find launchers for the examples in the "Applications" menu at the top of the screen. They are as follows:
Many people prefer to use the Web-based Google Mail client as opposed to a generic Email client such as Thunderbird. This allows you to run the native G-Mail Web interface as an on-line application. The idea is to show Medes performing a practical solution for a wide audience. The benefits of accessing G-Mail this way is that you get a G-Mail-centric interface and do not have to worry about extra protocols like IMAP or POP3.
This is currently the best example of Medes at work. Here we are providing a simple container for a regularly used on-line application. Medes is designed to load quickly, so you can launch Google Maps on demand without having to wait for a Web browser to load up, and then navigating to the website before you can use it.
This is a more intensive test on the Medes runtime, as Facebook uses a wide range of Web technology to provide a rich environment to the end-user. Currently, you can see the capabilities that are inherited by the use of the Mozilla Gecko engine, and the use of the embedded plug-ins to provide content such as Flash and video streams.
Facebook also provides lots of opportunity in the future to explore the interaction with other desktop components, through it's diverse "application" modules and pluggable design.
This demonstrates the ability to run a complete Flash application inside a Medes runtime. Beyond what can be seen in the Facebook example, this allows you to see how Medes can make a traditional "Website" look like a normal application. Through Medes, Pandora can be loaded outside of the normal Web browser, preventing you inadvertently stopping your streaming music when closing your browser window.
As a small demonstration of the desktop integration capabilities, you can iconify Pandora into your notification area using the AllTray application available in the repositories.
I added this website initially for my own use, but I thought others might benefit from a quick method of accessing the Ubuntu community wiki as well.
Google Docs has been removed from the example Web Applications for now, as it is experiencing some compatibility issues with Medes.
Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in helping out, or have some ideas for the project. I am user SeanHodges on both the Ubuntu Forums and Launchpad, and my email is seanhodges (at) bluebottle (dot) com. Note: My email service will ask you a security question soon after delivery, as a spam deterrent.