In today's world of containerization and AI powered UI automation, perhaps a single user-facing client could be viable again, powered by hidden per-service clients under the hood. Where each services' UI state is continually monitored and interacted with by an AI directed by user interactions in the visible interface. That would be against the services' ToS probably, but it could work I think.

Who needs APIs when a computer can exploit the analog hole and use the same affordances as a human?

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zamadatix 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

I don't think having a single user-facing client has ever really been held back by the technology. It's always the services being intentionally proprietary, intentionally breaking 3rd party clients, and ToSs making it risky to do.

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wink 4 days ago | parent [-]

I mean, different platforms exist just the same as back then. Windows, Linux, Android, iOS (and let's say some nerds will make it work on osx and the BSDs from the linux version).

That was a problem back then and it's a problem right now

	▲	zamadatix 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		There have always been approaches to multi platform apps, the limitations attempts at this (both in the past and currently) have repeatedly been a great UI with hostile 3rd party services.

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edoceo 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

A "User-Agent" if you will.