Why our website looks like an operating system

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall reaction

  • Many found the OS-style site delightful, nostalgic (Win95/BeOS/early web vibes), and a refreshing break from generic SaaS marketing pages.
  • Others bounced immediately, calling it “cool but pointless,” a “terrible idea competently executed,” or outright user-hostile for people who just want to read docs or pricing quickly.

OS‑style / MDI design vs browser & OS

  • Big thread on “multi‑document interfaces” (MDI): several argue re‑implementing a window manager inside a page is an anti‑pattern when OS WMs and browser tabs already exist.
  • Others note genuine use cases for in‑app windowing (image editors, CAD, tmux‑like workflows, multiple views of one document), but still question whether a marketing site fits that category.
  • Some see this as yet another instance of the “inner‑platform effect”: a mini‑OS built atop an OS and browser, adding layers of indirection.

Usability, accessibility & UX

  • Repeated complaints:
    • Keyboard scrolling and shortcuts often don’t work; focus handling is poor; screen‑reader behavior is presumed to be bad.
    • Browser back button semantics are broken or confusing; URLs are less obviously deep‑linkable.
    • Fake scrollbars, nested tabs/windows, and custom context menus conflict with users’ mental models and browser expectations.
    • On small screens, stacked chrome (browser bar + top bar + bottom “Ask AI” bar) leaves very little room for content.
  • Some, however, praise the top navigation and integrated content as the fastest way they’ve seen to explore a complex product suite and docs.

Performance & mobile behavior

  • Reports range from “runs like a dream” to “5–10 fps and my phone is burning.”
  • Safari, Firefox Android, Opera Mobile and iPhones are frequently cited as laggy or slow to load; spreadsheets/changelogs are particularly sluggish.

Marketing, conversions & focus

  • Many see this primarily as a clever marketing stunt / growth hack that successfully generated buzz (e.g., this HN thread).
  • Skeptics think it will hurt conversions, especially for non‑developer or enterprise buyers, and argue that time would be better spent on product and documentation.

Cookie banner & privacy law

  • The tongue‑in‑cheek “legally‑required cookie banner” sparked a long GDPR/ePrivacy debate.
  • Multiple commenters note that for essential or purely first‑party cookies, such a banner is not legally required; thus they view it as either misinformed, defensive legalism, or a privacy‑themed joke that still adds annoyance.