I want to make a custom B2G-based OS

[Jack Durrant]

Hello,

I'd like to have a go at making my own B2G-based OS for the Nokia 8110 4G (and possibly other devices). I'm not planning on making a KaiOS-based custom ROM like GerdaOS; I want to take the open source B2G base, and build an entirely new UI layer on top.

It's an ambitious project, but I am unemployed right now, and I'd really like to do something cool while I'm in between jobs. If I actually manage to make something even kind of cool, then obviously, I'll publish the source code.

I hope to build something much more usable than KaiOS; I'm hoping to build something that doesn't double your keypresses randomly because of how bloated and buggy it is.

I also have some cool ideas for this project. I want to make devices running the OS usable as walkie-talkies, with the button on the side; I think I can make a really nifty solution work here, using WebRTC.

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I have extensive experience building web apps, and once I get started, I'm confident that I'll be able to build a new UI layer for this device; but I'd really appreciate help with the following, in order to get started:

• Knowing where to put my web-based UI, so it'll appear on the screen when the device boots.
• Compiling a flashable .zip file that I can distribute to anyone else who might want to use this OS on their own device.

I'll also need to figure out how to handle button press events, and how to interact with system APIs to make phone calls, connect to Wi-Fi, etc.; but I think I can figure this stuff out for myself.

If this is far more complicated than building a web app, and I need a thorough understanding of B2G's inner workings for whatever reason, by all means call me a pillock, but please tell me why I'm a pillock, so I can reassess the feasibility of this project.

But if it is possible to create a workflow that only requires me to understand the web stuff - if I don't need to create an actual operating system - any help you can offer with getting started would be much appreciated; I'll put your name in the project's readme.

Cheers

[Nick West]

Hi Jack,

I afraid this is completely outside of my field of expertise, so I can't "help"...  but it sounds like a cool idea and if you can get rid of the double keypresses I would definitely download your OS and give it a go :-)

I seem to spend half my life on devices that either give two presses instead of one (Nokia 2720, GPD microPC) or miss them entirely (ClockworkPi uConsole).

The walkie-talkie function sounds like a cool idea too :-)

Nick