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Implement Windows 98 Active Desktop - #797

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azayrahmad wants to merge 9 commits into
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feat/active-desktop-13298446161524259284
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azayrahmad wants to merge 9 commits into
mainfrom
feat/active-desktop-13298446161524259284

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@azayrahmad

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Implemented the classic Windows 98 Active Desktop feature, allowing users to add interactive web items (iframes) and HTML wallpapers to their desktop. Web items are movable, resizable, and sit behind desktop icons. The feature is managed through a new "Web" tab in the Display Properties app and via the desktop context menu. A recreation of the classic Channel Bar is included as a default web item.


PR created automatically by Jules for task 13298446161524259284 started by @azayrahmad

- Created ActiveDesktopManager to handle state and rendering of web items and HTML wallpapers.
- Implemented DeskMover component for movable and resizable web items with classic hoverable frames.
- Integrated Active Desktop settings into the "Web" tab of Display Properties.
- Added "Active Desktop" options to the desktop right-click context menu.
- Created a classic Channel Bar asset in public/activedesktop/ChannelBar.html.
- Ensured Active Desktop layer sits behind icons and handles pointer events correctly.
- Persisted settings in /C:/WINDOWS/activedesktop.json in ZenFS.

Co-authored-by: azayrahmad <10110227+azayrahmad@users.noreply.github.com>
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google-labs-jules Bot and others added 8 commits February 4, 2026 23:38
- Imported original Channel Bar assets (images and CSS) from ModernActiveDesktop.
- Updated ChannelBar.html to match the original look and feel.
- Refined right-click behavior on Active Desktop wallpaper and item frames.
- Fixed malformed HTML in Display Properties template.
- Integrated Active Desktop into the Display Properties "Web" tab.
- Persisted settings in ZenFS.

Co-authored-by: azayrahmad <10110227+azayrahmad@users.noreply.github.com>
- Added ACTIVEDESKTOP_README.md with usage and customization details.
- Updated main README.md to mention Active Desktop.
- Included credits to the original ModernActiveDesktop project.

Co-authored-by: azayrahmad <10110227+azayrahmad@users.noreply.github.com>
- Created ActiveDesktopManager to handle HTML wallpapers and web items.
- Implemented DeskMover component for movable/resizable web items with classic hover-to-show titlebars.
- Integrated Active Desktop settings into Display Properties 'Web' tab.
- Added 'Active Desktop' submenu to desktop context menu.
- Recreated classic Windows 98 Channel Bar using original assets.
- Implemented automatic Wayback Machine redirection for remote URLs.
- Persisted settings in ZenFS at /C:/WINDOWS/activedesktop.json.
- Updated IconManager and Desktop component to support Active Desktop layering and interactions.
- Updated E2E tests to reflect ZenExplorer's application ID and verify new features.

Co-authored-by: azayrahmad <10110227+azayrahmad@users.noreply.github.com>
- Created ActiveDesktopManager to handle HTML wallpapers and web items.
- Implemented DeskMover component for movable/resizable web items with classic hover-to-show titlebars.
- Integrated Active Desktop settings into Display Properties 'Web' tab.
- Added 'Active Desktop' submenu to desktop context menu.
- Recreated classic Windows 98 Channel Bar using original assets.
- Added local Channel preview pages (e.g., MSNBC, ESPN, Disney) that appear when clicking Channel Bar items, mimicking the original Windows 98 behavior.
- Implemented automatic Wayback Machine redirection for remote URLs.
- Persisted settings in ZenFS at /C:/WINDOWS/activedesktop.json.
- Updated IconManager and Desktop component to support Active Desktop layering and interactions.
- Updated E2E tests and fixed ZenExplorer app ID references.

Co-authored-by: azayrahmad <10110227+azayrahmad@users.noreply.github.com>
- Integrated original Active Desktop assets (Channel Bar, icons, HTML) from ModernActiveDesktop.
- Implemented `ActiveDesktopManager` for state persistence and rendering of background web items.
- Developed `DeskMover` component for resizable, movable web items with authentic hover-to-show frame behavior.
- Added "Web" tab to Display Properties for managing Active Desktop items.
- Integrated Active Desktop controls into the desktop background context menu.
- Unified application ID for Zen Explorer as "explorer" across the system and E2E tests.
- Optimized desktop icon refresh logic to preserve Active Desktop layer without re-renders.
- Fixed preview rendering in Display Properties to handle `calc()` CSS positions.
- Unified URL handling to automatically redirect remote URLs to the 1998 Wayback Machine archive.

Co-authored-by: azayrahmad <10110227+azayrahmad@users.noreply.github.com>
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