To build a new OS, or not to build a new OS?

There's a fascinating debate in the software world about whether it still makes sense to create a new general-purpose operating system from scratch.

The Pragmatic View

On one side, you have figures like John Carmack. In a recent discussion on X, he argued that building a new OS is often impractical. The cost, short lifespan, and developer burden rarely justify the effort, a lesson he learned from opposing Meta's custom XR OS.

The Idealistic View

On the other side is the spirit of the ultimate craftsman. This is captured perfectly in a joke by DHH during this presentation:

"People who are really serious about software should make their own operating system."

He's riffing on a famous quote by Alan Kay about hardware, but the message is clear: the ultimate challenge for a software purist is to build the whole stack.

A Middle Ground: Omarchy

Interestingly, DHH's own work offers a third path. He hasn't built an entirely new OS. Instead, he created Omarchy …