note

What is an operating system for? Is it for running a computer? But what is a computer for? Doesn't that affect what an operating system is for, and how it should function? And is it something we can't define? I propose defining it as a concentration of space. It is a great luxury to have a lot of space to call your own, but ordinary space is in limited supply, or, to the extent that it is abundant, abundantly accessing it is impossible. A computer can create a lot of space, and give the user access to that space, within the confines of its own very compact physical presence. I propose that, if we define the use for a computer in that way, and build an operating system around that definition of the use of a computer, the result will be a vastly superior operating system.