Spaceframe

🌌 Spatial computing is the future 🤖 Computers gradually climbed the ladder of abstractions, adding more flexibility with each generations. Putting aside the prototypes from the Xerox PARC, we can distinguish five movements: Early 80’s: 8 bits micro computers with monochrome and text heavy user interfaces. Usually displayed in a monospace, monochrome font. The notion of operating system or “user interface” is not yet clearly defined. Early 90’s: Following the Macintosh and Windows introduction, every personal computer now comes bundled with a graphical user interface by default, activated by a combination of mouse movements and keyboard shortcuts. The user environment is a metaphorical desktop, complete with desk accessories (calculator, calendar, clock) and folders. Early 00’s: In 1999 more than 150 millions computers are connected to the web, with the advent of wi-fi and affordable laptop computers, use cases are broadened, the computer leaves the desk and the browser becomes the most important software on our hard disks. The user environment still resemble a metaphorical desk but the migration of tools to the browser has begun. 2010’s: The iPhone puts the web in our pocket and revolutionise the way we think about software with the advent of the “app store” and “app” concepts. The user environment is now a ethereal concept. Our digital lives are now broken down in several parts: the local part that still needs a desktop/file system, the networked part that uses google docs, figma and notion, the mobile part where we have our communications (mail, chat), social media and assets (notes, pictures, synced files). 2020’s: Large language models, generative AI and agents. This new world changes everything. Just like mobile moved the center of gravity of our digital lives to the smartphone, generative AI shuffles the cards once again. There is no need to organize anything now, the computer can organize assets by itself and surface what’s needed just when it’s needed. It can even draft an article, generate a mock up of a user interface or even code. The great equalizer is now a reality putting the power of a very large corporation or group or people in the hands of individuals. The tech industry predicts the existence of 1B$ companies managed by just one person before 2030. Those 5 moments are shocks on the back of a gradual evolution. 📈 Memory size increased, screens got crispier and Moore’s law kept on delivering yearly improvements in computing power. However the user environment of the personal computer you carry in your backpack is largely 40 years old. The one on your smartphone 15 and AI agents are still mainly activated through text commands or prompts. As content generation creates even more files and things to manage, we’ll need a new way to hold those parts together. Files, folders and apps will not do. 💡 The answer may one day look like the Vision Pro (or rather, @SoftspaceHQ but billions of people will need to buy headsets and it’s probable that 2D screens and desktop computers will still be there for some time. “Flat” spatial interfaces like Kosmik, Muse or Freeform provides a good solution to this problem by meshing together files, apps and services. 🧠 The AI becomes a co-presence in the canvas, not just someone you “go to” to ask a question. The canvas provides the means to store content, edit it, share it and also add that proactive layer we need to finally go beyond the desktop metaphor!