The Klossekode Libre Operating System (KLOS) would be an operating system for touch screen mobile devices probably based on the Linux kernel and Gecko browser engine, with a robust privilege model, installable either by flashing devices, or as an APK running over top of Android. Though this is similar to Firefox OS, what sets KLOS apart from Firefox OS is that all the apps would specifically be made using a block-based visual programming language known as Klossekode (lit. “block-code”). Every app would then have a “see inside” button on the navigation bar that one could tap on, launching the Klossekode mobile IDE to see and edit the code in any way one pleases; and the IDE would of course also have a button on the navigation bar that would take one back to the app in question.

Presumably the code would be run through a compiler à la Turbowarp rather than an interpreter à la Scratch, because the compiler would be faster and more efficient. Turbowarp does not currently support live script editing, because the compilation process makes this very difficult to do, however the Turbowarp documentation says that they believe this is possible and that they want to implement live script editing “eventually”.

KLOS would come pre-installed with basically nothing except whatever one needs for the device not to crash, and whatever one needs to allow users to either create Klossekode apps themselves, or transfer the Klossekode files to the phone using the USB or SD card. It should also be possible to develop the apps on a PC and test them live on a USB-connected phone.

So, what’s the point of this?

The first point of appeal is that VPLs are generally more accessible to laypeople than the more traditional text-based programming languages. This means that a VPL would make it easier for laypeople to personally check the code running on their phones, and to try changing it for themselves if they’re dissatisfied with it. Having the Klossekode IDE would incentivize people to be more creative and try making apps for themselves: it is of course possible for anyone to make an APK using a mobile device, but a drag-and-drop based visual programming language with distinctive colors and shapes and perhaps some haptic feedback, is quite simply better suited for programming on a mobile device than a normal textual programming language.

The other point of appeal is that KLOS would incentivize one to cut down on distractions. Like nothing’s stopping you from having a clock and a web browser and an app store on your phone, but if these things don’t come pre-installed on your phone, and you reflect on all the times you decided to check the time and ended up doomscrolling… Are you really going to go through the effort? And when you’re now used to being able to check and modify code really easily whenever you want, are you really going to be so keen on visiting websites with proprietary software? And when app development has the barrier of entry of learning a new language, for such a niche market as “people who really want to see the code on their apps, but don’t know how to read a textual programming language”… How many companies (hell, people) are going to go through the trouble of writing and maintaining apps? The apps themselves would also be incentivized to be small due to the constraints of the VPL.

So yeah, that’s the idea, basically.