Dec 21: The browser of the future ❇️. Fast, focused, and thoughtful. Purpose made for work.
Discover more from Probably Nothing
Dec 21: The browser of the future ❇️. Fast, focused, and thoughtful. Purpose made for work.
SigmaOS is a new type of web browser made to match your workflow. It’s as fast as Safari and it’s built around workspaces and multitasking.
Although SigmaOS is currently available only for macOS, I am listing a few alternatives for Windows below. Some of them have an option for Windows now while others are still building it. The SigmaOS article below helps you understand what you can expect.
A. The Problem and The Pitch
How do you spend time on your computer? 🖥️
Are you working in apps like Figma or Notion? Or reading articles on Substack? Or responding to mails while you listen to music?
You’re likely doing something on the web. And your browser is a window to the internet. But browsers haven’t fundamentally evolved since the 90s!
Our browsers are chaotic places. We spend an increasing amount of time surfing the web. We almost unquestionably use Chrome or Safari. Probably because companies that make browsers aren’t fixing the obvious problems that prevent us from being more productive.
🧰 User experience is not optimized for using web applications like Notion, Slack, and Figma (Although a lot of them are often made with Electron; the backbone of a browser)
😫 Poor multitasking capability. 10+ tabs and your system’s fan goes brrrrrr
⚡ Slow default. Speed is not a consideration - be it search, multiple accounts, or a keyboard-only interface
What if you had a purpose-made browser for your flow?
Designed to make you faster and better.
🌐 That’s SigmaOS 🌐
It is a new type of web browser made for work. It’s as fast as Safari and it’s built around workspaces and multitasking.
The first thing you’ll notice about SigmaOS is the minimal, unconventional interface. It doesn’t have ‘tabs’ 👀 like any mainstream browser but has spaces for you to arrange your web pages and apps. Just like you’d organize your files into folders 📁 in your system.
There’s no address bar, cross to close a webpage, or even the ability to bookmark a website.
B. What's special?
SigmaOS is the first step towards the rethink of the modern browser. It pushes you to realize what a better experience can be. It questions what has been ‘obvious’ for decades.
🗃️ Workspaces: Like Slack, in SigmaOS, your browser activity is separated into workspaces - one workspace per project. So you have separate spaces for work, personal projects, NFT & crypto trading, and entertainment.
⚡ Speed: Like Superhuman, SimgaOS is packed with reactive and clever key shortcuts. Snooze pages, search across tabs, share your work and articles instantly. Split-screen allows you to multitask like a pro with two active pages at a time. Imagine two pages next to each other: your research and Notion or Google Meet and Figjam.
🤷 Not so special: Lack of extensions like in Chrome. SigmaOS is built on Apple’s Webkit framework instead of Google’s Chromium. So you can’t use your favorite Chrome password and adblocker extensions in SigmaOS.
The product is in its infancy. So, we can likely expect big things and additional updates as it scales and the community grows 🚀🚀. It was recently voted Product of the Month on ProductHunt 😻👇
C. What's more?
🔥 This space is hot at the moment.
On one hand, you have extensions like Workona trying to create a similar experience in Chrome (you can try it in Windows).
On the other, you have full-fledged apps like The Browser Company, Mighty, Vivaldi, and Sidekick reimagining the browsing experience. I’m particularly excited about 💜 The Browser Company (Based on Chromium, so all your Chrome extensions work!). Full review coming soon; once they’re out of private beta.
D. What’s next in the 🗓️ App Advent Calendar?
📸 Dec 22: The absolute best screenshot app (Stop using your system defaults)
✂️ Dec 23: Edit audio & video like you edit a doc
🥳 Dec 24: Fun video messaging for work. Unlike Zoom. Unlike Loom.