What does computer mean in the modern age?

Originally a computer was a job. It was the title of a position, usually held by a woman, who performed mathematical calculations. Teams of human computers worked together to compute, solving problems and providing assistance to everyone from sailors to scientists.

In the early 20th century this job started to become automated by mechanical and eventually electronic machines. By WW2 the first large scale calculators such as the British Colossus and the American ENIAC were being developed to handle large volumes of data. These were the first machines that were described by the name “computer”.

By the late 20th century large room scale computers had been downsized to the point where the personal computer was launched. With this came continuous advancements into what a computer could be used for. No longer just a glorified calculator, now that power had been abstracted to many other possibilities like storing and processing information, connecting us globally, allowing the creation of digital music and art, creating new industries of entertainment and optimising businesses.

We are now heading into a new era of computing, where the user is no longer required to operate the computer. The advances of artificial intelligence are now at a point where you can talk to your machine, and it will do your work for you. This can be experienced directly in the terminal thanks to advancements such as Claude Code CLI, and even in the GUI and on the web using applications such as Claude Desktop computer use, OpenAI Codex, and even open source platforms such as Hermes which allow any open source LLM to drive your computer. Perplexity recently released their computer use application, calling it simply “Computer”.

So what does this mean for us now? Do we still use computers directly, or are we moving towards a new paradigm? It is difficult to really predict where technology is going, but it has become obvious that things are rapidly changing and that many of the tasks you were previously required to do are being abstracted away, reducing the tether to the desk and providing more freedom and optionality.

Perhaps we are moving towards a future of ambient computing, where you set intention and review output and decisions to guide computers. A future where we can be more present in the world and enjoy more of the human things that we have abstracted away from ourselves. Perhaps the internet becomes simply a connected network for your personal agent to use, bringing you information and completing tasks for you.

If we stop to think about what we use a computer for, it seems this can be broken down into a few simple overarching themes: productivity, leisure and connectivity. The face of each of these is changing dramatically, and I expect operating systems to do so as well.

So what is the new operating system, and who is it built for? Along that line of thought, what are the applications of the computer and who are they built for? Where do humans enjoy being a part of the computing process, and what do we want abstracted away? What should builders focus their time on? Are modern advancements such as MCP apps the future, or are they a stepping stone?

It feels like we are moving towards a future of always on agents, that operate and make decisions on our behalf. That perhaps computers become ambient infrastructure that we mostly communicate with over more natural human expressions such as conversation, with feedback coming from vision, and perhaps eventually these machines are controlled directly via thought.

This leaves the question of leisure and connectivity. If computers and the internet are mostly artificial, does human connectivity move to in person? Does our direct interaction with computers become one of leisure? How much longer will we be using QWERTY?

Exploring these thoughts, I had hoped to provide myself clarity on where to focus my building efforts. The reflection leans me towards the idea that I should be building directly for agents now, with the human layer being simply one of direction and review. Perhaps it is too early for this right now, but as we look to the edge, it feels like we need to prepare appropriately.

If you have taken the time to read this, I hope something in here has been useful or thought provoking to you. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Please feel free to reach out to me.