Please have a look here, you will love it : https://github.com/zriyans/awesome-OS
1999 version: https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=12
2000 version: https://www.digitalmzx.com/show.php?id=13
I have a little snapshot of how it looked back then, at https://aaronos.dev/AaronOS_Old/
Browsers are resource hogs, and they mostly used to run antiquated JavaScript. Creating a responsive, nice-looking "OS" desktop in a browser is something akin to code golf. It's a demonstration of skill at least.
Been working on it for roundabout seven years.
If anyone's got questions, fire away!
No question, just a typo I spotted:
s/psuedo/pseudoSnappiness is definitely lent to the tiny scale of the project compared to Windows -- the entire thing is loaded to RAM! Though that's been changing in more recent updates.
Otherwise it is quite impressive given the circumstances.
As time passes the "System" part of "OS" is beginning to feel more valid, at the least. 3rd-party app support, interconnected systems, etc.
You're right though, certainly not an actual OS by any measure.
It's something like WindowsCE who tried to move the workings of the desktop to the mobile instead of a fresh interpretation of the platform like Android did at their time.
Aside that, an Electron app has been experimented with, but only the Music Player has actually been released standalone.