In May 1998, Apple was introducing the iMac as the first “internet” computer. The iMac was turned towards the future, doing away with legacy ports, floppy drives and hinting at a future where our digital lives would mainly be on the internet. In 2008, the MacBook Air was introduced. The web and internet had become so important, and available in so many places through wi-fi and high-speed mobile networks that this small computer didn’t even have a disc drive and relied on wireless networking for almost everything. The way our hardware evolved over the last 20 years to account for the web and the cloud as the dominant paradigms of personal computing is astounding, but for all its prowess, even the web wasn’t enough to change the basic interface of our computers. This is what this newsletter is about: how to make the browser our main computing interface while keeping the sense of place of the desktop.
Making a web browser
Making a web browser
Making a web browser
In May 1998, Apple was introducing the iMac as the first “internet” computer. The iMac was turned towards the future, doing away with legacy ports, floppy drives and hinting at a future where our digital lives would mainly be on the internet. In 2008, the MacBook Air was introduced. The web and internet had become so important, and available in so many places through wi-fi and high-speed mobile networks that this small computer didn’t even have a disc drive and relied on wireless networking for almost everything. The way our hardware evolved over the last 20 years to account for the web and the cloud as the dominant paradigms of personal computing is astounding, but for all its prowess, even the web wasn’t enough to change the basic interface of our computers. This is what this newsletter is about: how to make the browser our main computing interface while keeping the sense of place of the desktop.