I picked Task Manager 'to see how ready AI is for primetime… or if it would just degrade to slop' – OG dev talks to The Reg

The creator of the original Windows Task Manager, Dave Plummer, a former Microsoft engineer, has unveiled new versions of the application for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Plummer explained that the project began as an experiment to explore if vibe coding could yield a useful outcome. He expressed that testing AI's readiness for prime time largely depends on the specific tasks, the testing method, and the data provided.

The updated Task Manager is a more comprehensive tool, designed to provide users with insights into their system's inner workings. It bears a resemblance to the current Windows Task Manager, but it offers a deeper level of detail and exposes additional metrics. The user interface resembles the media player skins of the 1990s and 2000s, evoking the aesthetic of Plummer's Pioneer RT-909 reel to reel.

Users can customize the font, theme, bloom, and saturation of the application, with options ranging from amber or green screens to full color. The application was initially a 107-page specification that Plummer handed over to Fable. After a three-and-a-half-hour first pass, the first version of the application was completed, albeit with some initial resistance from the software, which was initially cautious about potential security work.

Plummer chose to employ native UI code instead of the Electron framework for the cross-platform nature of the project. The application is coded in Swift for the Mac version, Direct2D/DirectComposition for Windows, and Qt for Linux. This decision, while requiring more effort, resulted in a more efficient software, with the Windows version being roughly half the size of Microsoft's version and using half the amount of RAM. The code remains proprietary for now, with a Pro version in the works that will carry a price tag.