Noticing the problem with our operating systems

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For the first decade of my career, I was deep in the world of email, building products on both sides of the protocols — clients and services. Email gets a lot of pieces right: there’s a split between client and server, with standardized protocols mediating communication between them. This means email is largely decentralized; it isn’t owned or controlled by any one party. And it means that your data is fully portable: you can change email servers or clients while bringing all of your past data with you. Plus, having been designed for a time when constant connection was a thing of the future, email clients can be capable programs when offline; they keep a copy of your email data locally, letting you access and use your client even when you don’t have an internet connection. Data portability, decentralization, no vendor lock-in, standardized protocols, local-first… these are things we wish for with modern software and services, almost always in vain! Yet, in many ways, email is the origi

You’re reading Part 1 of The Interfaces With Which We Think ☜ Return to the introduction You’re reading Part 1 of The Interfaces With Which We Think ☜ Return to the introduction ALEXANDER OBENAUER Email Bluesky Mastodon Twitter Want to receive my work as I publish it? Don’t fill this out if you’re human: Subscribe ALEXANDER OBENAUER Email Bluesky Mastodon Twitter Want to receive my work as I publish it? Don’t fill this out if you’re human: Subscribe For the first decade of my career, I was deep in the world of email, building products on both sides of the protocols — clients and services. Emai

Noticing the problem with our operating systems

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