Depends what you consider a fail.
I consider a fail doing something everyone has done, and not getting far with it.
Succeeding to me is doing something few do, and getting far with it, and most importantly learning from it. I've learned a lot from JetaOs and I've gotten pretty far with it. I don't think, at least in my terms, it is considered a fail.
In an average person, yes, it looks like a fail, but that's because you have no idea what really goes into it. The only people that admire the project really are other software engineers or computer programmers, or those interested in the subject and want to learn about it. Which is who the project is meant for. I don't want undetermined jerks thinking everything is going to fail.