I’ve been building OS Yamato, a poetic, lightweight web OS where data “blooms and withers” — inspired by nature’s rhythms.
Unlike conventional apps that hoard information endlessly, OS Yamato invites you to let go. Unless opened, data fades and disappears. This is not a bug — it’s a philosophy.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this approach — technical or philosophical.
Your information lasting forever can be an issue when it's controlled by companies who exploit your data (and even short term that data can be exploited). If it's under your control than it can be quite useful. I can only see upsides to having old files and info; it is unlike too many objects which can cause issues in the physical world. That email I wrote 30 years ago in high school does no harm just sitting taking a few bytes of space. But if one day I wonder when I first read a memorable book and can find that the same email was part of a conversation about it to a friend, well, that adds depth and perspective to my understanding of it and, more broadly, my life and personal growth. To me, archiving is part of being more mindful.
Also, as a historian I hope future historians can find bits of text that we think don't matter at all but will help later generations understand our lives (i.e., their past and therefore themselves).
I really like the idea of things left untouched naturally fading away with time. I routinely think about all of the old junk I don't technically need, but keep around for some not-likely-to-happen moment. Would be nice to just wake up and realize I've regained gb's of space.
We externalize so much of our cognition, why would you want to give yourself digital Alzheimer's to gain space? Why is void space valuable over memories?
Notes, photos, emails from loved ones, legal documents are less important than unused hd capacity?
Or: this is a system that forces mindful consideration of notes, photos, etc. If you want them to persist, you must at least look at them once a year. No dusty boxes in the attic.
While this is not something I would probably use directly just due to technical limitations (incorrect hardware), I do really like the idea. I am constantly clearing out old stuff that I simple do not use, it is a good way to be. No need to carry everything around, everything gets voided in a long enough time.
Outside of the digital space, all the paintings I have done and everything I touch will be rendered null. Many will go to the rubbish tip either in my life time or very shortly afterwards. Don't try to cling on and drag this stuff everywhere.
Back to the OS however, hopefully you could allocate somethings to be manually exempt from the deletion but it would have to be done so that people must do it intentionally rather than just trying to avoid the issue of deletion. There are many one or two notes I keep with little bits and pieces I would like to keep, the rest of it is just noise.
> if it really matters, you’ll probably open it at least once a year, right? (And if not… maybe it wasn’t that precious after all?)
This makes me wonder if you've experienced much loss in your life.
About twenty years ago, I lost my wife and child in an accident. It took years before I could look at photos without drowning in grief and even today, after lots of therapy, I can't look at too many before I'm overcome. These photos are the most precious item I own, and it would be devastating to lose them, but I do not look at them often or at every one.
I actually agree with the over all premise that the majority of things we save can be pruned, but there are things that just... are beyond this simplistic view IMHO.
OS Yamato is still in an early stage, so I’m actively looking for thoughts and feedback to help shape its direction.
You can even use it to casually chat with friends — so feel free to give it a spin and see how it feels in practice.
Every small insight helps make it better
Traditional operating systems emphasize archiving — keeping everything forever.
OS Yamato flips that. It offers a seasonal, emotionally lighter, and more mindful digital space.
No addictive loops. No algorithmic feeds. Just calm tools for slow living.
⸻
A Personal Note
I’m not here to trap anyone in subscriptions.
I don’t want you addicted to OS Yamato.
I don’t want your data to sell ads.
I just want to build a gentle digital garden, where tech gives us space to breathe.
This is an early project, growing with every bit of feedback.
Built solo, evolving daily.
2. Why Let Data Disappear?
•In a world obsessed with saving everything, we rarely ask: Should we?
•OS Yamato embraces intentionality and impermanence.
•Notes, messages, and journals start as , blossom into , and wither into if left untouched.
•Reopening revives them — forgetting lets them go.
•There’s no pressure to archive or manage an endless inbox.
This system is inspired by mujo (無常) — the Japanese philosophy that all things change and nothing is permanent.
3. How It Works (Technical Highlights)
• Each item (message, post, etc.) has a lastOpenedAt timestamp.
• Scheduled jobs (or lazy rechecks) determine expiration.
• Opening the item resets its lifespan.
• Visual transitions (→→) are animated via CSS.
• Data isn’t hard-deleted instantly — it’s softly marked, and revived through interaction.
• Download is always available. Nothing is locked in.
1. A Gentle Operating System
I’ve been building OS Yamato, a poetic, lightweight web OS where data “blooms and withers” — inspired by nature’s rhythms.
Unlike conventional apps that hoard information endlessly, OS Yamato invites you to let go. Unless opened, data fades and disappears. This is not a bug — it’s a philosophy.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this approach — technical or philosophical.
Try it: https://hanaco875.com Code: https://github.com/osyamato/os-yamato
Your information lasting forever can be an issue when it's controlled by companies who exploit your data (and even short term that data can be exploited). If it's under your control than it can be quite useful. I can only see upsides to having old files and info; it is unlike too many objects which can cause issues in the physical world. That email I wrote 30 years ago in high school does no harm just sitting taking a few bytes of space. But if one day I wonder when I first read a memorable book and can find that the same email was part of a conversation about it to a friend, well, that adds depth and perspective to my understanding of it and, more broadly, my life and personal growth. To me, archiving is part of being more mindful.
Also, as a historian I hope future historians can find bits of text that we think don't matter at all but will help later generations understand our lives (i.e., their past and therefore themselves).
I really like the idea of things left untouched naturally fading away with time. I routinely think about all of the old junk I don't technically need, but keep around for some not-likely-to-happen moment. Would be nice to just wake up and realize I've regained gb's of space.
Very cool idea.
We externalize so much of our cognition, why would you want to give yourself digital Alzheimer's to gain space? Why is void space valuable over memories?
Notes, photos, emails from loved ones, legal documents are less important than unused hd capacity?
Or: this is a system that forces mindful consideration of notes, photos, etc. If you want them to persist, you must at least look at them once a year. No dusty boxes in the attic.
That LLM readme is a big turn off.
To be fair, the author is Japanese. I imagine the LLM is translated from Japanese.
"Is this another vibe-coded thing?" is the impression I get from it too, which is ironic given what it does.
While this is not something I would probably use directly just due to technical limitations (incorrect hardware), I do really like the idea. I am constantly clearing out old stuff that I simple do not use, it is a good way to be. No need to carry everything around, everything gets voided in a long enough time.
Outside of the digital space, all the paintings I have done and everything I touch will be rendered null. Many will go to the rubbish tip either in my life time or very shortly afterwards. Don't try to cling on and drag this stuff everywhere.
Back to the OS however, hopefully you could allocate somethings to be manually exempt from the deletion but it would have to be done so that people must do it intentionally rather than just trying to avoid the issue of deletion. There are many one or two notes I keep with little bits and pieces I would like to keep, the rest of it is just noise.
Thanks so much — and I completely agree with your take on impermanence and letting go.
Actually, OS Yamato does support a kind of “favorite” (♡) to mark something you want to keep. But! Even favorites fade if unopened for a year
Because hey — if it really matters, you’ll probably open it at least once a year, right? (And if not… maybe it wasn’t that precious after all?)
Also, favorites are easy to find via sorting, and photos can be grouped in albums while memos can be organized with tags — so it’s not total chaos
It’s all part of keeping the garden tidy, not turning it into a museum.
> if it really matters, you’ll probably open it at least once a year, right? (And if not… maybe it wasn’t that precious after all?)
This makes me wonder if you've experienced much loss in your life.
About twenty years ago, I lost my wife and child in an accident. It took years before I could look at photos without drowning in grief and even today, after lots of therapy, I can't look at too many before I'm overcome. These photos are the most precious item I own, and it would be devastating to lose them, but I do not look at them often or at every one.
I actually agree with the over all premise that the majority of things we save can be pruned, but there are things that just... are beyond this simplistic view IMHO.
I am sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine the grief. It must be very hard.
That is a great middle ground. Keeps with the overall theme without compromise.
Really appreciate it — thank you!
OS Yamato is still in an early stage, so I’m actively looking for thoughts and feedback to help shape its direction.
You can even use it to casually chat with friends — so feel free to give it a spin and see how it feels in practice. Every small insight helps make it better
4. Philosophy & UX
Traditional operating systems emphasize archiving — keeping everything forever. OS Yamato flips that. It offers a seasonal, emotionally lighter, and more mindful digital space.
No addictive loops. No algorithmic feeds. Just calm tools for slow living.
⸻
A Personal Note
I’m not here to trap anyone in subscriptions. I don’t want you addicted to OS Yamato. I don’t want your data to sell ads.
I just want to build a gentle digital garden, where tech gives us space to breathe.
This is an early project, growing with every bit of feedback. Built solo, evolving daily.
2. Why Let Data Disappear? •In a world obsessed with saving everything, we rarely ask: Should we? •OS Yamato embraces intentionality and impermanence. •Notes, messages, and journals start as , blossom into , and wither into if left untouched. •Reopening revives them — forgetting lets them go. •There’s no pressure to archive or manage an endless inbox.
This system is inspired by mujo (無常) — the Japanese philosophy that all things change and nothing is permanent.
⸻
the Japanese philosophy that all things change and nothing is permanent
After what happened to them 80 years ago, you bet they don't want to remember their history.
3. How It Works (Technical Highlights) • Each item (message, post, etc.) has a lastOpenedAt timestamp. • Scheduled jobs (or lazy rechecks) determine expiration. • Opening the item resets its lifespan. • Visual transitions (→→) are animated via CSS. • Data isn’t hard-deleted instantly — it’s softly marked, and revived through interaction. • Download is always available. Nothing is locked in.
I keep hearing "web OS" a lot lately. Have people forgotten what "OS" means? "Website" or "webapp" if you must.