Jim Gettys: The Two Edged Sword (1998)

I'm not sure this 20yr old editorial from 20yrs ago has aged well.

TL;DR: The extreme customization of X (window system) is essential, "one size does not fit all", WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointing) are not the future, audio is.

If anything, we've seen the opposite: consistency wins, consistently. It's Apple's core strategy (remember the "gasp" around the idea phone Apps have to be approved?). Google spends enormous effort on promoting consistent design in its open ecosystem.

In other words: it's less important that an upper-right "X" means "dismiss/close", and it's more important that it's consistent. (At least if you want mainstream use).

Otherwise, "audio is becoming more common", is slowly happening. And, "there should be little or no difference between local ... and Web" -- absolutely!