This might sound crazy or something, but i've always wanted to build an Operating System like Windows where people can do everyday things I know some people do not like the new Operating System and that the new screens look atrocious. Also I need a group at least five or so, but anyone can join if they like.
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Schol-R-LEA 1,446 Commie Mutant Traitor Featured Poster
Crazy for wanting to write an operating system? No, I wouldn't say so. Overly ambitious perhaps, but not crazy. There are dozens if not hundreds of OS developers (or would-be OS developers) around, even if you discount those on established projects like Linux and FreeBSD. I've been puttering around with OS design ideas for over two decades, and while I have never made any noticable progress, I still keep at it.
The crazy part comes in when you expect others to join your project with only a minimal idea of what you intend to do with it. Most people, even those who are interested in OS development, aren't going to join a project sight unseen without a good reason. Indeed, seeking out partners too early in a project's lifetime is one of the classic mistakes in OS dev, and in open-source development in general.
I would recommend going to the OS Dev wiki and read up on the subject extensively before going any further, especially the "Introduction", "Required Knowledge" and "Beginners' Mistakes" sections. Lurk on their message board for a while, get a feeling for the community, and maybe post a few questions. Don't post a request for help on your project until you've got something to show prospective partners, but still, keep at it, and get a feel for the scope of what you're looking to do. Keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of OS projects never get very far, and try to keep your perspective about it.
I strongly advise your to look on this as a hobby project and a learning experience rather than something that will eventually overthrow Microsoft. You're far from the first person to look at Windows and think, 'there has got to be a better way'. Most of them don't get very far, and chances are, you won't either. Focus on learning and getting something out of the project personally, rather than monetary gain or fame. As a hobby, OS dev is facinating, if often frustrating. As a serious endeavor or a money-making prospect, it is usually an exercise in futility.
One last comment: chances are, what you have in mind isn't actually an operating system, but a graphical user interface or window manager. Those are very different things, and a lot of people assume that what they see (the GUI) is the operating system itself. Nothing could be further from the truth. The user interface is only a small part of the OS as a whole, and isn't necessarily part of the OS at all - on most Unix-like operating systems (MacOS X being the main exception), the user interface is itself a user-level program or collection of userland processes. The user interface can generally be replaced or overriden; in Windows 8, the Metro window manager is standard, but there are ways of changing it to a different window manager. Consider carefully what it is you actually are trying to do before committing to a large project that may end up going in a different direction than you intended.
ddanbe commented: Great advice! +15
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