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Malleable software: Restoring user agency in a world of locked-down apps

inkandswitch.com · 9,803 words · saved by 8 readers

The original promise of personal computing was a new kind of clay. Instead, we got appliances: built far away, sealed, unchangeable. In this essay, we envision malleable software: tools that users can reshape with minimal friction to suit their unique needs.

Motivation We want to adapt our environments Environments matter. To do our best work and live our best lives, we need spaces that let us each express our unique potential. A guitar maker sets up their workshop with their saws, hammers, chisels and files arranged just so. They can also build new tools as needed to achieve the best result—a wooden block as a support, or a pair of pliers sanded down into the right shape. Over the years, a home cook gradually assembles a combination of knives, cutting boards, and pots and pans, finding the ones that work best for them. They can install hooks on t

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