Codename Horsepower

## Project "Horsepower"

Codename Horsepower Beta 2.

Steel OS Codename Horsepower (also known as SteelOS 2.0, SteelOS 1.0 SP4, and Steel OS 2105 Concept) was a concept version of Steel OS that was cancelled. It was based off of Steel OS 2104, and was developed during April and May of 2021 under the codename "Horsepower". As this project's directory name is "SteelOS 2.0 Beta 2", it is likely that is was supposed to be a successor to Steel OS 2104, which had a directory name starting with "SteelOS 1.", followed by the version string.

Codename "Horsepower" was abandoned soon after June 2021 began, in favor of the Acti-X project, which was supposed to create system software for game consoles, but this project also was abandoned.

## History

### SteelOS 1.0 SP4

Steel OS Codename "Horsepower" began development as a fourth service pack for Steel OS 2104, known as SteelOS 1.0 at the time. This new service pack would've made a lot of changes to the system, adding new programs, categorized programs in the Start menu, and more. However, these features are lost, because as the project became more advanced, SteelFirm (the badge name of Steel OS at the time used by SteelsOfLiquid) decided to make the release a separate, full-scale release of SteelOS.

Had it been completed as SteelOS 1.0 SP4, Horsepower would have a different visual theme of Steel OS 2104, a CPU monitor (which did nothing), a new background, and possibly more features.

### Steel OS 2105 (SteelOS 2.0 Beta 2)

Codename "Horsepower" would become its own release of Steel OS during its development, and this release would bring drastic changes. The user would log in using a "passbox", or a combo of boxes clicked in a certain order, and the system would have a "LaunchZone" (similar to Windows' "Quick Launch" feature), and more. One notable program in Horsepower (that was completed) was "Notebook", a text editor which actually worked, but required the user to save changes to the PPTX file (as Horsepower was based off of the PowerPoint platform) when shutting down.

Codename "Horsepower" also had a special kernel panic (which we know what it looks like, as it was posted to Twitter during the development of this version of Steel OS), which could be triggered using the "Crash Test" icon found on the desktop. Notable programs include "Terminal", "Notebook", and "Pathfinder". Horsepower also came with both Saturn (the original Steel OS web browser) and SteelOS 1.0 Essentials pre-installed, with SteelOS 1.0 Essentials being classified as a "Classic App". As a result, it was likely that Horsepower was supposed to be backwards-compatible with Steel OS 2104. It should also be noted that it is very likely that a calendar program was supposed to be added, as assets for "Calendar" exist within the sub-directory "Program Files".

### Fate

Steel OS Codename "Horsepower" was abandoned at an unknown time after May 2021. The fate of this project was due to a lack of focus, being too ambitious, and a new project, the Acti-X project, all being factors to Horsepower being abandoned. It was not the last project to be abandoned by SteelsOfLiquid, as it was followed by SkyHawk, Steel OS 2201, OS/NR I (Crystal OS), CarbonOS, Emerald, Sigma OS, Plasma OS, Nate OS, OS/64, Steel OS ST, and even versions of modern Steel OS, such as Steel OS 1.51 and 2.0 Server.

## Legacy

Steel OS Codename "Horsepower" would leave a legacy on Steel OS, even to this day. It may be not-as-known among Steel OS users, but features in this version would later be recycled for use in CarbonOS, which was the last PowerPoint-based OS created by SteelsOfLiquid.

### Kernel Panic

Steel OS Codename "Horsepower" contained a kernel panic which later inspired the kernel panic used in Steel OS 2.0's development. Although Steel OS 2.0's kernel panic screen (specifically the one used in build 766) looks different from that used in Codename "Horsepower", these two screens have clear visual differences, having white text over black backgrounds, this text displaying information about the crash. However, Steel OS 2.0 Beta 1 Build 766 is the last public released build known to contain this screen, as it was replaced by the "system panic" error in Steel OS 2.0 Beta 2 Build 997, which was the next beta release of Steel OS 2.0 available to public testers.

## See also

Steel OS 2104 - Version of Steel OS which Codename "Horsepower" used as a code base.