commit 48cc3d5d4972581bee831d3aa37c15c326d43177
parent 75c2c7936646080721442ef0545841876649ae46
Author: IkiWiki <ikiwiki.info>
Date: Wed, 20 May 2026 16:38:49 +0200
Merge branch 'master' of /var/www/git.permacomputing.net/repos/permacomputing
Diffstat:
1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-)
diff --git a/spacehobo/antipatterns.mdwn b/spacehobo/antipatterns.mdwn
@@ -13,9 +13,7 @@ In the abstract, I hope to illustrate the ways in which Permacomputing is not an
# Permacomputing is not Hierarchical
-One of the reasons that people have trouble understanding definitions is that we deliberately avoid them. We have certain shared concerns and goals, but don't define "permacomputing kits" or formal lists of "permacomputing tools".
-
-## Permacomputing is not Prescriptive
+One of the reasons that people have trouble understanding definitions is that we deliberately avoid them. We have certain shared concerns and goals, but don't define "permacomputing kits" or formal lists of "permacomputing tools". There is no Permacomputing Certification Authority to rule on how "perma" your computer is.
One resource that shows up prominently in search results is the [Hundred Rabbits talks on Permacomputing](https://100r.co/site/permacomputing_101.html) by Devine Lu Linvega. Their practice involves low-power disconnected living on a sailboat in the Pacific Ocean, and they have developed tools such as [[Uxn]] in service of this. A lot of the writing about Permacomputing comes from their lived experience and that of their shared communities of practice online.
@@ -23,11 +21,7 @@ It would be easy to read through these materials, then, and think "Is Permacompu
It is most certainly *not* limited to Forth! It's true that Forth has become something of a meme in permacomputing circles, and newcomers may not understand how much of this is tongue-in-cheek.
-To illustrate this principle, here are some living projects that prove this.
-
-### These things *can be* Permacomputing:
-
-Take a look at the [[projects]] page to see a list of projects that we feel capture the spirit of Permacomputing. They range from 8-bit BASIC and Forth computers to 32-bit Lua programming tools and low-pixel-count photography festivals. They include Linux distributions you can install on old phones or tablets, power monitoring for your existing devices, and ways to distribute site hosting on solar-powered nodes so your traffic "follows the sun".
+To illustrate this principle, here are some living [[projects]] that prove this. These things, and others similar to them, *can be* Permacomputing. They range from 8-bit BASIC and Forth computers to 32-bit Lua programming tools and low-pixel-count photography festivals. They include Linux distributions you can install on old phones or tablets, power monitoring for your existing devices, and ways to distribute site hosting on solar-powered nodes so your traffic "follows the sun".
I say "can be" because it's always possible for a project with noble aims and incredible promise to change. Goals shift, and sometimes people make tradeoffs that ultimately thwart the original aims. Permacomputing is about those goals, and that is why our descriptions of methods and approaches are so fuzzy.
