tines
3 hours ago
I love this project.
I've been feeling lately that as computers have become more advanced and software has become more inscrutable, our relationship with our computers has changed, for the worse. This essay hit home for me: https://explaining.software/archive/transparent-like-frosted...
These old-school computers viewed their users as creators, as developers. Modern computers (read: smartphones) _are_ the users, and the "used" are just ad-watching revenue cows. I passionately hate this arrangement.
When I have children, I want them to know what computing should feel like---empowering, creative and stimulating, not controlled, consumptive, compulsive and mindless. I want to give them a computer that builds up their spirit, rather than grinding it down.
I think this computer should have several qualities:
0. The computer should be about _creation_ and not consumption.
1. The computer should be _local_, not global. Intranet should be prioritized over Internet.
1.5 A corollary, the computer should be _personal_. It should encourage and reward in-person interaction, physical sharing of information and programs, and short-range connection between computers.
2. The computer should be _limited_. Because the medium is the message, we have to restrict the capabilities of our media to better promote the messages we value.
2.5. A corollary, the computer should be _text-oriented_. Graphics shouldn't be impossible, but text should be primary. The computer should cultivate a typographic mind, not a graphic mind (in Marshall McLuhan's terminology).
3. The computer should be _focused_. It should never distract you from what you want to work on.
4. The computer should be _reactive_, not proactive. It should never give you a notification. You should be in charge of retrieving all information yourself, like a library, not a call center.
5. The computer should be _physical_. It should be oriented around physical media.
6. The computer should be _modifiable_. It should encourage and reward inspection into its internals, and be easy to change.
7. The computer should be _simple_, understandable by a single person in its entirety with time and study.
The Mega65 is amazing and checks these boxes, but unfortunately it's a tad expensive for me. What other machines are out there like this?
wvenable
2 hours ago
I grew up before the Internet and we still craved connectivity with our computers. I remember dialing into BBSes and playing turn-based text games and it was amazing. It was also the best way to get software; my computer would be pretty boring if the only software I had was what I created myself or purchased in a box.
I also could have done so much more with all my computers, from my Commodore 64 to my 286, if had I had the vast information resources that are available now.
tines
2 hours ago
I think the difference is that in the days of the nascent internet, connecting with people meant much more than it does now. You dial into a BBS or log into a MUD and you have a small-ish community of real people that you can develop relationships with. Modern internet connectivity almost means the opposite: all the major services are oriented toward moneymaking, nothing is genuine, there is no sincerity, most behavior is motivated by accumulation of worthless social capital.
So, the society that you craved connection with no longer exists now that you are able to connect. This is another thing that, seemingly, has to be rebuilt from the ground up locally.
andai
2 hours ago
I've wanted an e-paper laptop ever since I saw a Kindle ad in 2008. I'm also interested in ultra low power computing (solar charging, daylight readable, months of battery life, offline-first, mostly text...). So your list has a lot of overlap with mine!
Such a thing doesn't seem to have been invented yet. The remarkable might come close (or that weird typewriter like thing?) but I haven't been able to justify any of those purchases yet...
I'm not 100% sure about e-paper (the lag may actually be a feature reducing addictiveness), I'm also amenable to those transflective Sharp LCDs! (Though I think they're a bit too small for a daily driver.)
bluescrn
an hour ago
So much of the effort and expense has gone into creating a large plastic shell and custom keyboard, though, resulting in a costly product targeting a very small niche of the already fairly niche hobby that is retro computing/gaming (or even retro Commodore enthusiasts)
And that large plastic shell of the C65 was always an ugly design, and I can't imagine it's comfortable to type on with that floppy drive protrusion so close to the arrow keys?
ruk_booze
an hour ago
Sounds like you may want a Commodore 64? Preferably equipped with an Ultimate 1541.
Or if that it is too limited, go for the Amiga. It is more modifiable.
As a sidenote, I got my Mega65 just the other day. Been waiting almost a year for it :)
GenericDev
3 hours ago
I agree with you a million percent, so you're not alone in this. But we are very much the minority :(
It feels like people aren't interested in being creators. Just consumers. And that shows in how media and companies refer to people as consumers.
I wish there was a way to reverse this trend. It feels in many ways like a Plato's cave kind of situation.