Studio Surface Modes

Purpose

Studio Surface Modes are the historical product-language version of the Studio Engine model. They explain why Prox OS should not be only a windowed web desktop.

The same app can be useful in different shapes:

• A window for focused work.
• A launcher card for discovery.
• A canvas node for relationships.
• A grid widget for operational scanning.
• An IDE panel for production workflows.
• An App Studio surface when one app should own the workspace.

The point is not to make six disconnected demos. The point is to treat Prox OS as a multi-surface workspace runtime.

Desktop Runtime

Desktop Runtime is the familiar operating system mental model: wallpaper, folders, icons, dock, RuntimeCommandStrip, Scenes, windows, and Prox Mission Control.

It is the default because it is immediately understandable. Users know how to open, move, stack, minimize, and close windows. This mode is the bridge from a normal browser app into an OS-like product.

Current role:

• Primary home surface.
• Owner of the existing windowed Scene system.
• Main place for traditional app windows.

What it is not:

• It is not the only future Studio Engine.
• It is not a guarantee that every app surface should be a window forever.

Atlas Studio

Atlas Desktop is the launcher and home dashboard mental model. It emphasizes search, collections, recent apps, pinned apps, Spaces, recommended work, and visual entry points.

It should feel like an OS-level home screen, not an App Store clone and not a Proxied Spaces management app. It helps users decide where to go next.

Current role:

• App and Space discovery.
• Recent and recommended surfaces.
• Surface capability preview cards.

Future role:

• Personalized launcher layouts.
• Workspace-level recommendations.
• Home dashboards composed from apps and Spaces.

Flow Studio

Flow Studio is the graph and relationship mental model. It uses a node-edge canvas to show apps, Studios, data sources, AI agents, documents, links, and workflows as connected nodes.

This mode is useful when the question is not "which app should I open?" but "how does this work relate to other work?"

Current role:

• React Flow graph with draggable nodes, edges, controls, background, and minimap.
• Relationship preview for app, Studio, data, AI, document, link, and workflow concepts.

Future role:

• Real workspace graphs.
• Agent workflow maps.
• Source lineage and permission-aware context graphs.

What it is not:

• It is not a full backend graph database yet.
• It is not a replacement for the normal desktop.

Grid Studio

Grid Desktop is the enterprise workbench and widget grid mental model. It prioritizes scanning many surfaces at once: metrics, tasks, calendars, logs, queues, finance panels, Studio status, and operational widgets.

This mode borrows from dashboard products and "many small apps in one workbench" interfaces. It should feel dense, stable, and rearrangeable.

Current role:

• Draggable grid widgets using react-grid-layout.
• Different app surface sizes such as compact cards, wide panels, and larger operating widgets.

Future role:

• Persisted layouts per user or Studio.
• Team dashboards.
• App-provided widget renderers and data contracts.

What it is not:

• It is not the same as Desktop Runtime Scenes.
• It is not a full business intelligence backend.

IDE Studio

IDE Desktop is the VS Code-like production workbench mental model. It treats Prox OS as a place where apps, docs, source context, AI context, logs, tasks, and quality checks can sit side by side.

This mode is useful for builders, maintainers, operators, and teams who need a structured workbench rather than a loose desktop.

Current role:

• Resizable panels using react-resizable-panels.
• Left explorer, center work area, right AI/context inspector, and bottom logs/tasks/timeline panel.

Future role:

• App-specific workbench profiles.
• Real task/test/deploy streams.
• Richer context panes for AI-assisted development.

What it is not:

• It is not a full replacement for VS Code.
• It is not a remote development environment yet.

App Studio

App Studio is the persistent "one primary app owns the workspace" Studio Engine. It is not only a maximized window inside Desktop Runtime.

It differs from three nearby ideas:

• Maximized mode: a window fills the OS content area while shell chrome remains.
• Browser fullscreen API: a browser primitive controlled by the user agent.
• Focus mode: a runtime behavior inside a Studio session that may reduce notifications or visual noise.

Current role:

• A demo single-app workspace with minimal chrome and a clear return action.
• Proof that layout mode can change the workspace mental model without changing the underlying app type.

Future role:

• App-declared App Studio templates.
• Focus sessions.
• Presentation, analytics, creation, or game-like Studios.

What it is not:

• It is not real browser fullscreen.
• It is not a desktop client or hardware OS capability.

Shared Rule

Studio modes should be workflow renderers over shared app and surface metadata. They should not become isolated product islands. The @prox-os/os-surface model is the first step toward keeping that promise.