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CoffeeOS — Dev Log #2: Windows
this was the foundation everything else depends on, so it took a bit longer to get right.
The Window Manager
Built out createWindow(), a function that spins up a new app window anywhere on the desktop: rounded corners, glass-style title bar with the classic traffic-light buttons, an icon, a title, and whatever content I throw at it. Windows cascade slightly when opened so they don’t all stack in the exact same spot.
Drag — click and hold the title bar, move it anywhere
Close — red button kills the window and removes it from the dock
Minimize — yellow button tucks it away into the dock tray, click the icon to bring it back
Maximize — green button toggles fullscreen, remembers the old size/position so un-maximizing snaps it back
Focus — clicking a window brings it to the front
The Dock
Added a bottom dock — glass panel with blur, pinned app launchers on the left, a little divider, and a tray on the right for minimized windows. Feels properly desktop-like now.
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CoffeeOS - Dev Log #1: Boot Splash, Desktop & Widgets CoffeeOS
Started building CoffeeOS a Hyprland-inspired desktop OS that lives entirely in the browser, themed around coffee and Catppuccin Mocha.
First thing anyone sees is the boot screen. I designed a custom coffee-cup logo as an SVG a rounded square with a mauve-to-peach gradient outline, a cup with steam wisps rising off it. Gave it a slow floating animation.
Below the logo: “CoffeeOS” title, a “Brewing your desktop…” message with animated dots, and a progress bar that fills with the same gradient.
Once the splash fades out, the desktop fades in with a radial gradient background gives it that moody Hyprland aesthetic without being flat.
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Day 2 — June 11, 2026
Big day. Built the rest of the app and fought NASA’s APIs for most of it.
Built ExploreDetail right panel with empty state, full observation detail view with image loading, data grid showing coordinates and program info, and a direct link to the ESA Webb Portal.
Built TelemetryTab showing real JWST instrument temperatures with color-coded bars, telescope status, orbit info, and mission statistics.
Built SkyMapTab an interactive celestial coordinate map with all 6 observations plotted by RA/Dec position. Clickable dots with hover tooltips. Clicking a dot shows an inline detail card below the map with coordinates, distance, program info. Color-coded by object type with a legend.
What I learned: NASA’s Image Library API item.links array has the direct URL don’t fetch the manifest. Not all Webb images are in NASA’s public library. WASP-96b has no photo, only spectrum data. stsci-opo.org blocks hotlinking. Rotating AI providers when rate limited is a real skill.
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CosmicLens — Dev Log #2
Date: June 10, 2026
What Got Built Today
Completed
- Animated starfield background
- Tab navigation
- Explore tab left panel with:
- Live search filtering
- Object type filter pills (Nebula/Galaxy/Exoplanet etc)
- Instrument filter pills (NIRCam/MIRI/NIRISS)
- 6 mock JWST observation cards with color-coded
type badges
- Scrollable card list
In Progress
- ExploreDetail right panel (observation detail view)
- ExploreTab parent component wiring left + right panels
- Telemetry tab (telescope temperature gauges,
mission status)
