As block-quoted by Profy…

In the third quarter of 2007, a project five years in the making is set to launch. Xcerion, a small Swedish company, has plans to release a free XML-based OS (XIOS) that will run inside a browser. XIOS has an extremely small footprint, with an initial 2 MB download to install. Running in a sandbox, it should be virtually immune to most of the malware created for current operating systems. Such a system would eliminate current OS hardware and software lock-in, provide the ultimate level of portability, and allow for the most open form of collaboration possible.

Because XIOS is based on XML, the front end OS should be able to interface with back-end apps built on any platform, including Java and .NET apps. And with it’s small size, you can work on things offline by using a portable drive with a browser and XIOS, moving from computer to computer and still be able to work on your files. Files could be stored locally, on servers, or on the Xcerion cloud.

XIOS sounds almost too good to be true, and if it does succeed, will change everything we are familiar with in terms of personal computing. Its initial launch will work in Firefox and Internet Explorer only, with functionality in Safari and Opera to be added later. The developers are also in talks with the Firefox developers to possibly contribute code, making the interoperability between Firefox and XIOS even more seamless in the future.