The author begins by expressing frustration with the limitations of the Emacs UI and the fact that it is essentially just text with properties. They argue that while Emacs has many useful functions and fast text manipulation capabilities, it falls short as a GUI application. The author then explores alternative systems such as Smalltalk, Java Clojure, and web-based interfaces, highlighting their advantages. They discuss XWidgets and the potential for interactive GUIs in Emacs but note that it has limitations. The author proposes the idea of creating a library of widgets for Emacs using a tool like SDL2 or ImGui, allowing for a more robust and extensible GUI system. They envision a future where Emacs can create real windows and virtual desktops, expanding its capabilities while still retaining its usefulness and compatibility with legacy elements. The author acknowledges that their ideas are speculative but believes that Emacs has the potential to evolve in this direction.
https://andreyor.st/posts/2023-07-11-emacs-gui-library/