The problems described in this OpenDoc video are still so relevant, 30 years later.
"Developers pile on feature after feature. The result is large monolithic applications. Data rich content is hard to share across applications..."
"Developers pile on feature after feature. The result is large monolithic applications. Data rich content is hard to share across applications..."
Each cloud its own pyramid, with scarce bridges in between... 
Dreaming of a new OpenDoc...
- Little components, each responsible for editing part of a document
- all data stored on a shared user-controlled substrate, not split across clouds. the filesystem is dead, long live the filesystem
- Little components, each responsible for editing part of a document
- all data stored on a shared user-controlled substrate, not split across clouds. the filesystem is dead, long live the filesystem
https://twitter.com/geoffreylitt/status/1326599085789470720
Perhaps related to @yoshikischmitz's thoughts on an open-ended blocks editor...
https://twitter.com/yoshikischmitz/status/1327966301118025728
... as well as @_adamwiggins_ 's thoughts on how we should be storing our data...
https://twitter.com/_adamwiggins_/status/1314974529278668801
also overlaps with the ambitions of decentralized Web projects like Solid:
ruben.verborgh.org/blog/2017/12/2…
ruben.verborgh.org/blog/2017/12/2…
more good context on OpenDoc and how it worked (also MS OLE):
and a great clip of someone yelling at Steve Jobs for killing OpenDoc:
https://twitter.com/geoffreylitt/status/1328468978042286082
I think the hardest problem here is reconciling data representations.
Getting all tools to agree on one "file format" seems impossible.
And yet, without data format interop, how can tools meaningfully work together?
Getting all tools to agree on one "file format" seems impossible.
And yet, without data format interop, how can tools meaningfully work together?
I think I want a "filesystem" where multiple "file formats" can be mapped to one another and synced in realtime, including accurate conflict resolution.
Like "Export from this app, Import into that app", but running instantly on every change
Like "Export from this app, Import into that app", but running instantly on every change
Yearning for just needing to build one little piece, not the whole damn "app"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDoc
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenDoc
Btw -- I don't begrudge any individual cloud app for this. It's a problem beyond the scope of one startup. We probably need to rethink some deeper layers of the stack to make progress.
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