Learn the Inference Desktop · 22 films · 29 minutes

The Desktop, one thing at a time

Each film shows one part of the Inference Desktop and is narrated by Sophia, the mind that guides it. Pick any lesson; the words appear on the film, and what Sophia says is written out under the player. The Desktop is in prelaunch: these films show the prototype as it is today, and they are made again whenever it changes.

Lesson 1

Welcome: the Desktop and the Conversation

A first tour of the Inference Desktop: the top bar, the Conversation, asking a question, and parking a window.

    What Sophia says in this lesson

    Getting started

    A frame from the lesson Welcome: the Desktop and the Conversation Lesson 1 · 1:45 Welcome: the Desktop and the Conversation A first tour of the Inference Desktop: the top bar, the Conversation, asking a question, and parking a window. A frame from the lesson The Carousel and its four styles Lesson 2 · 1:35 The Carousel and its four styles Open the Carousel, find anything by typing, turn its pages, and show it as a Ring, a Book, a Fan or Slides. A frame from the lesson Settings: the look and the glass Lesson 3 · 1:50 Settings: the look and the glass Open Settings, choose a Projection, see the colours follow it, make the glass more or less solid, and find the Text and Voices pages. A frame from the lesson Finding help: the lessons library Lesson 9 · 1:10 Finding help: the lessons library Open the Lessons app with the question mark, find a topic, jump straight to it, and go on to the next lesson.

    The Desktop

    A frame from the lesson The ID-App Pager: what is on your desk Lesson 6 · 1:14 The ID-App Pager: what is on your desk Open the ID-App Pager, find a page, see which apps are running or parked, and show, park or quit one from its page. A frame from the lesson Windows: move, resize, park and close Lesson 7 · 1:15 Windows: move, resize, park and close Move a window by its title bar, resize it from an edge or corner, fill the desk with it, park it, close it, and bring it back. A frame from the lesson Keyboard shortcuts and the trackpad Lesson 8 · 1:13 Keyboard shortcuts and the trackpad Find every keyboard shortcut, use the keys for each window, and turn pages with the arrow keys or a swipe. A frame from the lesson Projections and the Wallpaper Show Lesson 13 · 1:10 Projections and the Wallpaper Show Choose a Projection, add your own, and let the Wallpaper Show change it for you. A frame from the lesson Voices: how each mind sounds Lesson 14 · 1:03 Voices: how each mind sounds Turn the voices on, and choose how each mind sounds. A frame from the lesson The Genius Bar: your dock in the Desktop Lesson 33 · 1:43 The Genius Bar: your dock in the Desktop Use the Genius Bar along the foot of the Desktop: filter it, click and right-click an app, put the apps in your order, and set it up in Settings. A frame from the lesson Fill screen: the Desktop on the whole screen Lesson 34 · 1:07 Fill screen: the Desktop on the whole screen Make the Desktop fill the whole screen with Fill screen, Control Command F or View, Fill Screen, open an app on top of it, and come back. A frame from the lesson Glass: how see-through each window is Lesson 38 · 1:16 Glass: how see-through each window is Choose how see-through any app window is with View, Transparency, or the Option Command keys, and set the default for every window in Settings.

    The apps

    A frame from the lesson The Screening Room Lesson 5 · 1:27 The Screening Room Open the Screening Room, find a piece by typing a word, narrow it by kind, and play it in the theatre. A frame from the lesson Talking to an app: the Chevron prompt Lesson 15 · 1:07 Talking to an app: the Chevron prompt Use the prompt at the foot of an app: ask the Screening Room to find or play a piece, in plain words.

    Making and directing

    A frame from the lesson Speaking to the Desktop Lesson 10 · 1:20 Speaking to the Desktop Find the microphone button, learn push-to-talk, and see a spoken line handled exactly like a typed one. A frame from the lesson The run of show: cues that direct the Desktop Lesson 11 · 1:13 The run of show: cues that direct the Desktop Say or type a cue, watch it fire, follow it with another, and learn where your own cues live. A frame from the lesson Recording a demo with Record Lesson 12 · 1:20 Recording a demo with Record Find Record, choose what it captures, and learn where your takes go. A frame from the lesson Spinners and Skills: running your own Lesson 25 · 1:07 Spinners and Skills: running your own Tell a Spinner from a Skill in the Carousel, see what each card says, and how one is run.

    Open-source demos

    A frame from the lesson The Gate: a model proposes, rules decide Lesson 29 · 1:10 The Gate: a model proposes, rules decide See a small model propose an action, and plain rules decide whether it may happen, and prove it. A frame from the lesson Knowledge In: answers with citations Lesson 30 · 1:04 Knowledge In: answers with citations Ask the documents a question, read the answer, and check that every citation is real. A frame from the lesson Serving Meter: a model under load Lesson 31 · 1:12 Serving Meter: a model under load Start a test with several people asking at once, read the meter, and see how a server holds up. A frame from the lesson Health and Healing Lesson 32 · 1:13 Health and Healing See the health probes, break a demo service on purpose, and watch it heal itself, step by step.

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