Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 34 posts

Re: Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

#21

Post by rafaelmdec »

LargoLasskhyfv wrote: post #20
rafaelmdec wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who said people want to wear goggles? I mean, seriously, what on earth is Apple Vision Pro?? Voice is natural, it is fluid, it conveys emotion, intent. You cannot seriously be comparing metaverse immersion BS with voice commanded devices.

There are other 'glasses' systems in industrial use, giving engineers/technicians plans overlaid into their augmented reality. Usually voice activated. So that exists. Less cumbersome than that Apple or Metaverse stuff. Because industrial users won't have any of that. (mostly)

Yeah. I see that working.

But one thing is seeing the content and another thing is interacting with the UI to accomplish an office task, for instance.

Re: Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

#22

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

rafaelmdec wrote: post #19
LargoLasskhyfv wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trillions of flies eat shit. Makes sense?

You cannot be seriously thinking that the future lies in memorizing commands and typing words one stroke at a time on a keyboard. We are already seeing traditional coding evaporate overnight, let alone have people memorize commands and type it like we were in the 19th century.

I can't tell how this is developing, and which parts will be adopted by the masses, if offered at all, and which wont, and how that will change what the few remaining professionals do.

I'm just thinking it's not as clear-cut as you make it to be, as the past shows, multiple times. For whichever, maybe technically unrelated reasons.

Also "use it or lose it" and "learned helplessness" comes to mind.

Re: Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

#23

Post by rafaelmdec »

LargoLasskhyfv wrote: post #22
rafaelmdec wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You cannot be seriously thinking that the future lies in memorizing commands and typing words one stroke at a time on a keyboard. We are already seeing traditional coding evaporate overnight, let alone have people memorize commands and type it like we were in the 19th century.

I can't tell how this is developing, and which parts will be adopted by the masses, if offered at all, and which wont, and how that will change what the few remaining professionals do. I'm just thinking it's not as clear-cut as you make it to be, as the past shows, multiple times. For whichever, maybe technically unrelated reasons. Also "use it or lose it" and "learned helplessness" comes to mind.

Tks for sharing your views on this

Re: Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

#24

Post by rafaelmdec »

mikewarot wrote: post #13

The next big OS leap is a capabilities based security with a microkernel. The old model of assuming you wanted to share your authority with everything you run is unsustainable. It should have been a thing at least 20 years ago. >>Please elaborate. How does this resonate with the average user who doesn't know anything about infosec? Elaboration, with too much pop culture... ;-) When you use cash, for example, you're u…

Good stuff, tks

Re: Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

#25

Post by adrianwaj »

The next leap, I think will be when internet service providers are bought out by the hardware makers. Or vice versa? Everything tech will come in a bundle - and it will be global/multi-language and come with content. One ring to rule them all type stuff.

Then again, with the Agentic Economy, who knows, there could be a currency-based consolidation. Not sure what that all means for the OS. Maybe look at the payment and finance systems first and work backwards. You do some work for someone, how are they going to pay you and how are you going to spend the money?

Re: Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

#26

Post by nunobrito »

rafaelmdec wrote: post #7
nunobrito wrote: post #3

Or maybe the next big OS leap is decentralization along with data sovereignity. Each person being their own server without so many dependencies to clouds and huge processing/database power inside their own pockets.

I have difficulty to see that, as it requires proper packaging and distribution for mainstream adoption. Plus the average user doesn't care about data sovereignty, what they care about is UX and dopamine. How many users you know of that are concerned with data collection by big tech? How much does that account for percent wise?

From that perspective the operating system are a few apps on the browser since that is that users see and get their dopamine rush.

In my opinion users won't choose a future where sovereignity matters. It is a future forced upon them, because they will simply pick whatever methods are still available for communicating.

We used to see this only in a few edge countries like NK and Cuba. Now it is becoming the norm on Russia, Iran, China, Japan and more recently even Europe if you follow the most recent developments. What was once an open garden is becoming quite fenced.

Re: Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

#27

Post by crazyloglad »

LargoLasskhyfv wrote: post #11

Nope, because we already could have had that with VR/AR glasses, and while there are some (even impressive) options now, they aren't mainstream. Neither are the 'apps', nor the content interoperable, exchangable. Furthermore I see nothing wrong with the desktop metaphor, it's just that we mostly only had a miserable magnifying glass, giving only a small viewport into a crammed childs toy, instead of real large high-r…

There's been a closed version of https://arcan-fe.com/2021/04/12/introducing-pipeworld/ that was VR centric as well as wilder 'layouters' to https://arcan-fe.com/2018/03/29/safespaces-an-open-source-vr... that is still around in my piles here somewhere.

For a handful of reasons (abusive and hostile actors being at the top) we focus elsewhere (https://www.divergent-desktop.org/blog/2026/01/26/a12web/ and https://arcan-fe.com/2025/01/27/sunsetting-cursed-terminal-e...).

AR/VR development in this space is a massive timesink for all the wrong reasons. Hardware vendors absolutely suck here. Everyone is openly or quietly dreaming of the vertically integrated 'app-store tax' being their real source of revenue rather than selling devices.

This means that if you don't want to fuzz around with half-baked proprietary SDKs that break more often than they do what they're supposed to, you get to sit around reverse engineering. As fun as that can be, it's much less so when that is not what you set out to be doing. Half my electronics 'donation boards bin' is discarded HMDs and input devices by now.

Even in the quirky missed opportunities like Tilt5 you have this situation.

Re: Ask HN: The Next Big OS Leap

#30

Post by adrianwaj »

al2o3cr wrote: post #4

Since privacy will be an issue, "Shazam-like" filters will inhibit uncleared capture of voice. So now the operating system will decide which recordings are "cleared" and which aren't? Fuck outta here with that nonsense

Reminded me of the recent Q.ai acquisition by Apple. It's obvious that if you're using voice it should be as clear as possible.

I was going to suggest the next big leap will be some kind of "OmniLinux" that spreads across all devices, appliances and hardware that contains any kind of OS and enables interoperability, control and telemetry. Allows updating firmware from a central point, access control and power management. Will be used by humans first, then bots later. There might be some big retro movement to old world things as a result when people reject the idea of a "common dashboard" for the things they own. Might be useful for sharing and rentals though. Is a new OS needed for this though, why not some standards and protocols?

Had this vague thought that the OP is a bot. Does it matter?

Post reply on HN