saved
It scrolls up
gist
Simon Klee’s OpenCode mini pares a coding-agent interface down to scrollback, a prompt, a bottom bar, and sparse session context. Running it through a DEC VT520 shows that the essential interaction survives without color, Unicode, a mouse, or a modern full-screen terminal. The design lesson is to test every persistent interface element for actual value, hide secondary information on demand, and let users decide how much context they need.
ideas
- Subtract persistent interface chrome. Ask whether each element must always be visible, and keep secondary context behind a request or setting.
- Design around durable terminal primitives. Scrollback, a prompt, and text output survive drastic hardware constraints.
- Use compatibility to expose the product. An 80-column, 25-line monochrome screen reveals which interactions remain essential without Unicode, color, or mouse input.
- Keep minimalism configurable. A sparse interface and settings for context density let different users decide how much information is enough.
quotes
“For each UI element, I asked if it added value.”
“Did it have to be present all the time, or could it stay hidden until you asked for that information?”
“The text stream, scrollback, and prompt still work. The hardware does not support Unicode symbols, color, or mouse interactions.”