Future topics
Speculative or deferred work. None of this requires reinventing Nushell.
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Committed product plans (not speculative):
The sections below remain research / deferred topics. |
Have your stdout and eat it too
TUIs often abandon stdout for layout control. Research directions:
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Shell-owned layout with structured payloads (Nushell path)
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Hidden machine-readable stream alongside human view (agent/automation)
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Terminal protocols that reflow without the child process redrawing
Interactive TUIs and machine-readable pipelines often fight for the same fd. Research patterns where tools can offer both: structured data for scripts, rich UI when a human is present — without lying about which mode is active.
Promoted (no longer only speculative): compilers and long tools as Tool Runs on a bus (daemon + embeddable library + wrappers), plus command channels so hosts stop painting stderr into the only visual channel.
Display vs transport decoupling
Push further on separating "what the pipeline carries" from "what the terminal shows." Structured shells already help; terminal and protocol work can reinforce the split. Per-command channel capture and tool-run subscribers are the concrete product face of this split.
Terminal protocol notes
Modern terminals (Ghostty, Kitty, WezTerm, and peers) expose richer protocols than classic VT. Document how those interact with structured stdout, images, and progress without collapsing display back into the data channel.
Mixed fonts (speculative)
Explore whether shell or terminal protocol can mark spans with font roles (for example monospace vs sans) in one output stream for readability—without breaking pipes. Likely needs terminal-emulator cooperation; fish/Nushell hacks alone are insufficient long-term. Exploratory only — no implementation planned here.
PlayTime (not speculative, not ours to build)
A document runner that spawns argv without a shell already has a home in Dev-Centr scriptbook. Stance essays: PlayTime at the shell boundary, Argv as execution currency, Host identity as a contract. Do not start a second engine here.