- Author
- Thomas & Erin Ptacek, per the site's copyright line; no byline
- Published
- 25 September 2026
- Kind
- Personal blog post, a prediction with a project announcement
- Original
- sockpuppet.org/blog/2026/09/25/what-even-is-an-os-now/
- Subject
- Future of computing
What it is
The post is on the blog A Final Ward. The author recalls early computers and argues that users will make their own software. It ends by announcing a phone built around that idea.
What it says
- The author says AI is erasing the boundary between programmers and users. Power users will build their own apps.
- The author expects many apps to have an audience of one or two people.
- The author predicts strangers will ship building blocks rather than finished apps.
- The author says an operating system mainly exists to partition apps and control their communication.
- That purpose makes less sense when most software has one source and can change anytime.
- The author says current phones were planned in 2023 for fixed-function apps.
- The author is building a phone that makes apps on demand, with no fixed-function apps.
What evidence it gives
The post offers argument, a personal history and a prediction. It gives example questions users might ask. It shows no prototype, data or tests of the phone.
Interests and limits
The author works on the project and says so. The prediction is stated as certain but is not shown. The post says technical details are held back. Claims about phone design history are the author's account.