(1) For the Linux-based smart device operating system, see
webOS.
(2) An operating system that runs in a server on the Web. See
Web server.
(3) The environment created in a user's machine from an application stored on the Web and run in a Web browser. More accurately called a "Web operating environment," it is a combination of the Web page code executed in the browser and the back-end Web servers and application servers on the Internet. See
Web server,
application server and
cloud computing.
The Irrelevant OS
Because all browsers perform "almost" the same no matter which platform they run in, and the online application is the only thing the user sees, the operating system becomes less relevant. If people use only a Web browser, they can access their programs and data on any computer connected to the Internet.