Jolicloud has released a private alpha of its social netbook OS, and you’ll need an invitation code to download a copy for yourself. What is Jolicloud anyways? Well, it is in essence, a customized version of Ubuntu Linux which will narrow the gap between desktop and web apps, letting you run web apps side by side with your desktop applications, such as starting Twitter or Facebook just like how you launch a normal application. Guess this is more or less what cellphone users are experiencing now with special Twitter and YouTube apps made just for particular handsets. Jolicloud also uses Google Gears, Adobe Air and WINE to make life easier when running web apps offline.