Email clients and 3D paint applications do not belong in operating system releases

No, no, no, no, no!

The email client updates in the 10.12.4 update to macOS Sierra is everything that’s wrong with operating systems today. And so is the planned inclusion of an innovative, fun-sounding 3D painter as part of next week’s Windows 10 Creators Update.

Repeat after me: Applications do not belong in operating systems. Diagnostics, yes. Shared libraries, yes. Essential device drivers, yes. Hardware abstraction layers, yes. File systems, yes. Program loads and tools, yes. A network stack, yes. A graphical user interface, yes. A scripting/job control language, yes. A basic web browser, yes.

Applications? No, no, no!

Why not?

Applications bloat up the operating system release. What if you don’t need a 3D paint program? What if you don’t want to use the built-in mail client? The binaries are there anyway taking up storage. Whenever the operating system is updated, the binaries are updated, eating up bandwidth and CPU time.

If you do want those applications, bug fixes are tied to OS updates. The Sierra 10.12.4 update fixes a bug in Mail. Why must that be tied to an OS update? The update supports more digital camera RAW formats. Why are they tied to the operating system, and not released as they become available? The 10.12.4 update also fixes a Siri issue regarding cricket scores in the IPL. Why, for heaven’s sake, is that functionality tied to an operating system update?? That’s simply insane.

An operating system is easier for the developer test and verify if it’s smaller. The more things in your OS update release train, the more things can go wrong, whether it’s in the installation process or in the code itself. A smaller OS means less regression testing and fewer bugs.

An operating system is easier for the client to test and verify if it’s smaller. Take your corporate clients — if they are evaluating macOS Sierra 10/12/4 or Windows 10 Creators Update prior to roll-out, if there’s less stuff there, the validation process is easier.

Performance and memory utilization are better if it’s smaller. The microkernel concept says that the OS should be as small as possible – if something doesn’t have to be in the OS, leave it out. Well, that’s not the case any more, at least in terms of the software release trains.

This isn’t new

No, Alan isn’t off his rocker, at least not more than usual. Operating system releases, especially those for consumers, have been bloated up with applications and junk for decades. I know that. Nothing will change.

Yes, it would be better if productivity applications and games were distributed and installed separately. Maybe as free downloads, as optional components on the release CD/DVD, or even as a separate SKU. Remember Microsoft Plus and Windows Ultimate Extras? Yeah, those were mainly games and garbage. Never mind.

Still, seeing the macOS Sierra Update release notes today inspired this missive. I hope you enjoyed it. </rant>