Many people are clueless as to how technology will continue its advancement, and they are blind to the advancements made in technology every day. My creations, the ZocialNET, the ZocialNET User Interface, and soon the ZocialNET OS will hopefully be used on everyday computers, evolving the internet as we know it to the next level with cloud computing. This project is in active development every day, and will continue development as long as cloud computing exist.

The ZocialNET User Interface (ZUI) is a Web 2.0 online desktop environment. The interface is made up of 2,871 files, including the README, and LICENSE. I used my self-taught skills in PHP, Ajax, Javascript, HTML, and Integration to develop the interface. A lot of work and research was put into this project. Also used in the project were open source development licensed code libraries.

The reason I started the ZUI project was to destroy the traditional operating system, the traditional way we boot, and use our computer. The ZUI project is a way to rethink the computer. The way an operating system is traditionally booted is on a local hard disk. The ZUI project wants to eliminate the local hard disk.

Cloud computing is the use of storage capacity, processing power, business applications or software applications, via the Internet. The ZocialNET User Interface is a desktop environment that aims to change cloud computing. The goal of the ZUI project is to enable users to boot their computer to a virtual hard disk on the ZocialNET (a server). The hard disk will have virtual partitions, and will ultimately boot the ZocialNET User Interface. The ZocialNET User Interface will give the user a virtual disk which the user can then use like any other disk. The ZocialNET User Interface also has many other applications; part of the goal is to develop Web 2.0 widgets and applications. The ZUI will make it possible for users to access their desktops from any computer in the world, via the ZocialNET server which is in the secure socket layer so that everything is encrypted.

When building the ZocialNET User Interface there are primary components that had to be developed separately: The navigation toolbar, the application dock, the taskbar, the desktop, the icons system, the windows manager, sources directory, applications directory, the style and layout setup, and basic command line interface.

The style and layout setup came first. This was easiest, and done with CSS, and 4 DIV tags. The style and layout setup creates the basic setup for the desktop which is made up of 4 sections: the inner-wrap, left side, right side, and the main section. The inner-wrap contains the left side, and the main section contains the right side. This makes up the desktop, which is empty in this version because the icon system is still in development.

Aside from the desktop there are two other sections not mentioned in the style and layout setup, this is the header, and footer which wrap the desktop. The header includes references to all code, and style sources for the Javascript libraries, and components used in the interface. Also one component is included in the header of the ZUI, the navigation system, which is simply called ‘chromemenu.’ The ‘chromemenu’ in this version is not dynamic; all items of component are pre-defined. In future versions, each component will have its own dynamic directory, and the desktop will reference the code.

After the header, there is the footer, which includes two main desktop components: The taskbar and application dock. Like the ‘chromemenu’ the application dock is also pre-defined until components have their own dynamic directories, also the application dock is called ‘dojodock.’ The taskbar is a sub-component of the window manager system. It simply displays, what windows are open, and what applications are running on the ZUI. When a window is minimized, it is displayed in the taskbar.

The window manager is made of several types of windows; the Window Manager can also be themed for looks, which will give the user variety in his desktop. There are two primary types of windows. The System Window, which is a lightbox, meaning it is a stationed, non movable window, and when opened the rest of the desktop dims and the focus is put on the System Window. The next type of window is the ordinary applications window, which can be dragged, stretched, maximized, minimized, and has the same basic window features as any other window manager, that a linux desktop would have.

Next in the makeup there is the sources directory, this contains all the system files that make up the desktop environment. All graphics, javascript codes, css codes, and programs sources are located in this directory, from the sources directory the desktop pulls all the code it needs to operate.

Next in the makeup is the applications directory. This directory is where all the applications’ source codes are located, and the app itself. If there was a calculator app it would look like this: /apps/calculator. Next in development would be an application icon link reference, which would allow users to create icons of their apps onto their desktop. There will also be a widgets system.

Next in the development I will implement more PHP/MySQL for system terminal, and desktop properties, and the option to change wallpaper, and theme the desktop. There will also be the ZocialNET OS being developed to work with the ZUI.

Once again, the purpose of the ZocialNET is to advance cloud computing to the next level, where users will be able to access their operating systems remotely anywhere over the ZocialNET, again, the ZocialNET is secure, and all data on the servers will be encrypted for security. One of the newest developments in cloud computing is web hosting, the ZocialNET will have an application that allows the instant setup of a virtual web server on the ZocialNET. Users will be able to manage their web server via a Plesk control panel application. Users will be able to remotely control their web servers through the ZUI. Not only will users be able to manage their web server on the ZocialNET through the ZUI, users will also have a scalable hard drive, which works just like a physical hard drive, with a new type of file system that will even allow for developers to create new applications, and add them to the ZocialNET software repository. Applications developed by 3^rd party developers will be available to general ZocialNET users via the main repository. The file system setup will feature a system directory in the root for each particular protocol a user may use. For example, if the user has many FTP connections, the user could access their FTP connections in the ZUI (which does not yet have a desktop system – in development) like this: ‘/_sys/FTP/user1@server.ftp.com,’ this will give the user instant and easier access to their FTP connections. I also plan to develop a built in IRC, BitTorrent, SSH, and so on. All of this will be secure, and encrypted, making it impossible for a hacker to access a user’s information.

Now, more about what was used in creating the ZUI. The ZUI is comprised of many open source javascript libraries that were integrated into the sources directory. All libraries are open source, and have a license that allows me to modify, and re-use the code. I used Prototype JS, and the DoJo Toolkit – which features many DHTML and AJAX functions. Both of these libraries’ functions can be used on the desktop, and in the future apps IDE for developers. In the future I will be also adding the jQuery library for the ZocialNET OS.

One great thing about cloud computing with the ZocialNET, I think, will be the expanding hard drive, so that it is like having an unlimited amount of space to store music, videos, and files. Also in the future I want to research the ability for users to be able to create their own virtual hard disk on the ZocialNET, and specify a particular size, and then be able to map that drive to a network at their home, so that their files will be able to be accessed on a traditional computer at home as well.

The internet has just began, and the next step into its advancement is the ZocialNET, and cloud computing. Cloud computing, like the ZocialNET will reshape our machines, data-mining, and operating systems, I strongly believe that with my continuation of the development of the ZocialNET, I will be able to shape Web 3.0. This is the time when we should now be able to have infinite space, on our computers for all our music, and cloud computing is going to allow for this. The ZocialNET is going to grow immensely, possibly zettabytes of data per second in the future. This is what I see for all computers in the future, a ZocialNET OS system.

Awarding me this scholarship will further help me to research and improve the development of the ZocialNET, which I believe will change the very future of how computing is done. This scholarship will also provide the needed finances, that I need to attend UAT, which will, in effect, improve my knowledge of technology, and enhance my skills to create a more powerful, feature filled, secure ZocialNET with each version released. Not only will UAT give me the education I need to continue working on the ZocialNET, but it will also give me the education I need to take on new projects and inventions beyond what I thought would be possible at first. This scholarship is more than money; it is a key to help me shape my future, and the future for the rest of the world. Like Ray Kurzweil, I myself am an inventor, and futurist, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for technology. I believe that one day I will be able to give back to UAT, beyond what it has given me.