Ratty – A terminal emulator with inline 3D graphics

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

A new GPU-accelerated terminal emulator called Ratty renders inline 3D graphics—famously including a spinning rat cursor—blurring the line between traditional text consoles and graphical environments. Commenters see potential uses in areas like game development tooling, 3D model previews over SSH, richer data science and notebook-style workflows, and experimentation with new terminal graphics protocols inspired by projects like TempleOS and Kitty. Others are skeptical, arguing that such features risk turning terminals into bloated pseudo-browsers, complicating standards and accessibility without yet demonstrating clear everyday benefits.

Overall reaction

  • Many commenters find the project “gloriously bonkers” and fun, celebrating it as creative, nostalgic, and “Hollywood OS”-like.
  • Others are baffled or dismissive, calling it indulgent, gimmicky, or a waste of resources, and questioning practical value.

Inspiration & prior art

  • Strong association with TempleOS: people note its 3D sprites, unified code/graphics console, and see Ratty as a spiritual successor.
  • Comparisons to old Xerox workstations, Lisp machines, Oberon, Plan 9, SGI, and classic 3D file browsers (e.g., the Jurassic Park “Unix” scene, FSN/FSV).
  • Several note that inline graphics in REPL-like environments existed in the 1980s.

Potential use cases

  • Previewing 3D models (STL/STEP, game assets) directly in the terminal, especially over SSH and in multiplexers like tmux.
  • 3D graphs/visualizations, data science workflows, and notebook-like experiences in the terminal.
  • 3D file browsers, VR or shallow-3D dev environments, prankish or aesthetic uses (e.g., spinning rat cursor, 3D htop on a Möbius strip).
  • Some commenters “see use cases but not many,” mainly around inspection and visualization rather than everyday terminal work.

Technical aspects & protocols

  • Discussion of GPU-accelerated terminals and existing graphics protocols: Kitty graphics, sixel, Tek 4014 emulation.
  • Mention of a newly proposed “glyph protocol” and other glyph-based 3D text renderers; some see glyphs as a more targeted, less disruptive evolution.
  • Concerns about vsync / tearing when reading a framebuffer mid-update.
  • Questions about how this behaves over SSH, in tmux, or within browser-based terminals.

Terminals vs GUIs / evolution debate

  • Some argue terminals should evolve beyond “1980s text” toward richer inline graphics, notebook-style outputs, and even Wayland/X11-like capabilities.
  • Others warn this erodes a hard-won, relatively consistent text standard and effectively turns terminals into inferior web browsers or GUIs.
  • Pipes, reliability, accessibility (selectable text, screen readers), and simplicity are cited as reasons to keep terminals text-centric.

Concerns & skepticism

  • Doubts about long-term usefulness; comparisons to Compiz “wobbly windows” and desktop cubes that were flashy but rarely essential.
  • Security worries (new protocols, attack surface, key exfiltration fears).
  • Some see it as a solution in search of a problem; others counter that playful experimentation can uncover new, not-yet-obvious benefits.