SF Permacomputing Club

This could be interesting. I'm not sure if I could be much of a contribution to the conversation as I am not a software engineer. But I think I may have some shared values and could listen.

ray reply

lemmy.ml

You don't need to be a software engineer to join! We welcome anyone who would like to come and share ideas :)

To quote the wiki:

Permacomputing can take many forms, and every context and situation is different, but even without a one-size-fits-all solution, we can share knowledge and resources that could be useful.

For someone, getting started with permacomputing may be:

helping a school to work with recycled computers
learning how to repair and replace components in computing hardware
discussing the use and impact of smartphones in the household, or data centers in the workplace
working with local farms and collectives to develop low energy weather prediction
researching how to provide less resource-intensive tools and systems for their lab or workspace
getting involved with initiatives to create energy efficient and accessible local libraries of information
engaging with politics and policy making to advance tech and enviromental regulation in their institution, town, or region
helping artists interested to engage with ecological topics using tools and media in line with this intention
writing their own FORTH for a chip reclaimed from e-waste

https://permacomputing.net/permacomputing/

zabadoh

ani.social

That's an interesting idea that I've never thought about...

My first thought is that we should be preserving information instead of computational power, but that's a library.

Libraries are fine, but you need some way to store and and analyze raw data, and calculate simulations, and a computer is definitely needed for that.

A quick google tells me that the oldest functioning computer is the Harwell Computer, or WITCH and it looks like it needs a fair amount of somewhat advanced manufacturing to keep it in spare parts.

Just look at those dekatron things that it uses for memory!

I don't know where they dredged up spares of those things for the 2012 restoration