System → Programs → Apps

Is this a design language?

No.

Silicon Valley “design languages” are languages exclusively for the designer to speak to the user. The user is not given an equivalently expressive language to speak back with: the Silicon valley designer believes that the user has nothing valuable to say beyond affirmations and grunts. A "design language" is a language of sermons: preachers do not tolerate interruption of their mass with questions and commentary.

The language I want to build is a language for conversation amongst equals.

Notes

Focus on the forces. For example: force: forgetting/losing context vs. the need to know where you are.
I have no opinion as to whether these are implemented in the core of a system or as plugins. The distinction is meaningless if you follow the Extremely Late Binding pattern.
Terminology: windows vs. elements. Windows is sadly already loaded w/ bad meanings. But also, "element manager" feels obscure.
I absolutely need inline pages to do this right. I need to see the whole structure in front of my eyes. Even better would be to lay them out by category.
I want to avoid explicitly saying the system should be modifiable. take: Modifiability is not a valid pattern? Maybe it should emerge from other more basic patterns.
Maybe maintain a changelog w/ commits for every pattern?

Patterns

Performance**

https://www.inkandswitch.com/slow-software.html

Full-screen any element

https://www.notion.so/Computing-Spaces-Log-bb7cf95d8f9b48a2a8994d8f33676cc9#eb841c0a01fd4ae2b9ac924bec4a0e12

For people to realize their goals, they often need to narrow their focus on a single element.

Full-screen controls let people expand a single element of an interface to occupy their whole screen, letting them ignore the visual clutter of unnecessary UI. But a designer cannot hope to anticipate every possible thing the user would like to view in a full-screen.