Scott Jenson recently argued that Apple and Microsoft will not innovate the desktop OS space, leaving the future to the community. The talk highlighted that much of current window management is a workaround for obsolete hardware. The author proposes "tmux is the OS" as a vision for a session-persisted, detachable, and scrollable system accessible to normal users.
A major pain point identified is the inconsistent behavior when switching between laptop and external monitors. The OS treats display changes as surprises rather than scheduled events, forcing users to manually drag and resize windows. Furthermore, modern operating systems optimize for only one of three user groups: window maximizers, near maximizers, and meticulous coordinators.
The author notes that most people have distinct "private" and "public" windows, desiring persistence for some and privacy for others. The core problem is that the current OS model fails to adapt to dynamic workspace needs, particularly regarding screen real estate management across multiple displays.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing