"Because, you see, what I want to do is to commoditize the OS. I want to have access to all the applications that I need to do the things that I need to do, regardless"
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There is a wonderfully blunt bit of late-90s technologist heresy baked into “commoditize the OS”: the operating system, once treated like a crown jewel, gets demoted to plumbing. Zawinski’s phrasing is half confession, half provocation. “Because, you see” performs a casual patience, as if he’s explaining something obvious to people still emotionally attached to the OS-as-identity mindset. The real thesis lands in the second sentence: he wants software to be portable in practice, not just in standards documents.
The subtext is a fight over power. If the OS becomes interchangeable, it stops being a gatekeeper: fewer lock-ins, fewer vendor-specific choke points, less leverage for platform owners to dictate what counts as “compatible.” That’s why the word “commoditize” matters. It’s not “simplify” or “standardize.” It’s an economic term, aimed at the business strategy behind proprietary platforms. In one verb, he’s arguing that the OS should compete like electricity, not like a brand you pledge allegiance to.
The context is an era when applications were increasingly the locus of user value, but the OS wars still framed the industry’s politics and mythology. Zawinski’s line anticipates the modern equilibrium: apps and services first, platform second. It also exposes the permanent tension underneath that equilibrium. Everyone wants “regardless” right up until they’re the one selling the platform.
The subtext is a fight over power. If the OS becomes interchangeable, it stops being a gatekeeper: fewer lock-ins, fewer vendor-specific choke points, less leverage for platform owners to dictate what counts as “compatible.” That’s why the word “commoditize” matters. It’s not “simplify” or “standardize.” It’s an economic term, aimed at the business strategy behind proprietary platforms. In one verb, he’s arguing that the OS should compete like electricity, not like a brand you pledge allegiance to.
The context is an era when applications were increasingly the locus of user value, but the OS wars still framed the industry’s politics and mythology. Zawinski’s line anticipates the modern equilibrium: apps and services first, platform second. It also exposes the permanent tension underneath that equilibrium. Everyone wants “regardless” right up until they’re the one selling the platform.
Quote Details
| Topic | Coding & Programming |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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