I spent a little time with this but didn't really manage to understand anything of it. I buy that it's Turing complete, but it's unclear what its benefits are.

It's interesting and elegant, but without an algorithm to turn a tree calculus program into a performant executable, it's limited in usefulness for a GP programming language or compiler target/source.

It does seem like it could be useful for analyzing programs though, depending on what properties of the programs you're looking to explore/analyze.

Sadly, the lack of a normal form for all programs is a little limiting; if one existed this language would be EXTREMELY useful (example: could be used to prove any compiler optimization produces equivalent programs).

I do wonder if there is some other similar calculus that's a little less powerful but more useful-- This approach of developing a calculus to greatly simplify a complex world has worked great in robotics (see bivector.net/doc.html for fun applications of geometric algebra)

In my experience, the big wins in Drakon are:

• smart editing
• skewers
• rules about control flow (i.e. the PDF that Kartik referenced)

Skewers provide an "obvious" way to structure sequential control flow. Smart editing moves skewers aside to make room for wider code boxes - a very convenient, low-stress, low-mess way to create Drakon diagrams. Skewer-based control flow is "obvious" to human readers and tends to de-tangle program control flows. It's akin to "structured programming" for flowcharts, unlike, say Nassi-Shneiderman diagrams and Scratch, which are less "obvious" to human readers and visually more complex.

I used Dragon in a real project, and, I hacked on the editor code to try to incorporate Lisp - actually a difficult task, since Lisp has a recursive syntax whereas most other languages have line-by-line syntaxes. The line-by-line assumption tends to get wired in at deep levels in almost all editors, Drakon notwithstanding.

those are some really great layout rules. At my work we already had the single exit rule for graphical representations but that pdf has a bunch more that I think we could use to improve legibility like skewers and horizontal returns.

I found a cool online version stepan-mitkin.github.io/drakonwidget with a backing open source repo.

I’ve never really looked at alt.chi before. These abstracts are so much more interesting to me than 99% of papers presented at CHI!

Extreme agree

can you paste a bit of text here so we get an idea about Eden OS without going through any sign up process to review it? (I can't find anything on the CHI site after a quick link flail and Goog search) cheers!

I think metadata is okay to share, so here’s the abstract:

Current operating systems for our PCs don't match our human needs to support creativity and cognitive performance. In an era of information overload they fail to provide structures that align with our thinking patterns, help us to navigate our personal data, and focus on what matters. Through a design-driven approach, I call for rethinking operating systems and propose a new metaphor and a screen-based interaction concept. Instead of the old desktop metaphor and linear folder structures, my new concept Eden OS embraces the interconnectivity of information allowing users to make cross connections and focus their individual projects and structures. The concept is inspired by gardens –– ecosystems that are partly human design, partly naturally grown. Similarly, users can shape and arrange their projects while a content-based network of all their data grows naturally below the surface.

I would very much like to read this paper without signing up at that website. Would anyone be willing to help with that? 😉

If you are interested in reading it but don’t want to review it’s fine to wait until after the review process is over (next month)

I wonder how the "natural growth" bit is done - obviously there's things like indexing and seeking out connections between data - with AI?

An OS that rethinks desktops and linear folders is so overdue (oh here's a thought: see my own work on that! 🤓)

Is it an OS without apps or application programs? I think I should sign up to review it.