Make tmux the OS
Inspired by Scott Jenson's talk on desktop UX stagnation, I argue that the ideal OS interface would work like tmux: a scrollable, session-persisted, task-oriented system accessible to normal people. I break down three core problems—constantly changing screen real estate, diverse window usage styles, and browsers as mini-OSes—and draw on decades-old research like Rooms and WindowScape to propose a scrollable tiling window manager that handles private vs. public windows and infinite workspace.
The thing I want is 'tmux is the OS', but I want tmux where a normal person could use it.
- gizajob
> The concept of "filesystem" is an increasingly weak concept.
Yeah because Apple has broken that idea over and over and over. The anti-unix unix.
- treadmill
All of his wishes for window management are easily solved with i3 or a similar tiling wm. Even on macOS you can get a shitty version of it with yabai and skhd (both are awesome, it is entirely macos' fault that it still sucks).
- ssivark
Interesting and expansive post about what the modern desktop experience should be like, and most of it has nothing to do with Tmux except if you squint in some very particular way.
- michaelastreiko
Love the one-person stack energy. A small, known surface you can rebuild from muscle memory beats a pile of half-configured GUIs when you’re shipping solo.
- ggm
how can this not refer to emacs?
emacs -> screen -> tmux -> tmux integrated into <terminal app>
appears to be the path.
I guess the fork was "emacs before X" to "emacs after X but we retrofiited some ideas from X into the terminal" -> <the rest is history>
- anonreplier
Niri or Umbriel with Noctalia shell is a wonderful experience, you can get similar on Mac with OmniWM. I briefly tried komorebi for windows too.
- mattbrewsbytes
This topic is similar to jigs in woodworking - you can get all fancy and over-engineer it but in the end, does it improve the product/output? If a fancy jig and a gross looking home-made jig both produce a 90 degree corner, what is the added benefit?
I think people put way too much emphasis on things like this with conclusions that they are faster and therefore its better. There is Pareto's law and a point of no return on invested time with this type of endeavor. I would feel better if people started off with "I did this because I can and I like doing things like this" vs. some argument that its better in some way.
- phromo
Too bad config is a no go for the poster, otherwise hyprland or i3 would do everything, even the quake overlay.