Write a new, better operating system based on TWENEX

I have now acquired an account on twenex.org, which unaccountably appears to be dead to the net. Nevertheless, this is a surprising amount of progress.

TWENEX was the nickname for TOPS-20, the operating system used on late model PDP-10s, or DECSYSTEM 20s as they should probably be called.

I read about this and found the notion fascinating. Basically, TWENEX had a feature which enabled you to call help by pushing the question mark at any time. This meant anyone could understand the system but expert users were not slowed by user friendliness.

Systems have moved on insanely since TWENEX, but the idea of a clean, crisp system which always helps you when you need it and always leaves you alone otherwise is delicious balm.

I’m still wayyyyyy inexperienced to be writing an OS, but I really think we can do better than what we have now.