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Re: the computer built to last 50 years

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On 2025-03-17, Salvador Mirzo <smirzo@example.com> wrote:
> I loved this paper.  I became very interested in the ideas for offline
> use.  In fact, my participation here will change: I'm going to get
> articles a few times a week so I can answer them in a more offline
> manner; less frequent than I do today.
>
> I also looked around the web for standard laptops with an e-ink screen.
> Couldn't find much.  I like all the power I currently have.  I own a
> Lenovo 15IMH05 and I'm happy with it, but maybe I should own a much
> cheaper one that comes with a black-and-white screen that shines a lot
> less light, but still allows me run a BSD system on it.
>
>                   The computer built to last 50 years
>                          by Ploum on 2021-02-04
>
> How to create the long-lasting computer that will save your attention,
> your wallet, your creativity, your soul and the planet. Killing
> monopolies will only be a byproduct.
>
> Each time I look at my Hermes Rocket typewriter (on the left in the
> picture), I’m astonished by the fact that the thing looks pretty modern
> and, after a few cleaning, works like a charm. The device is 75 years
> old and is a very complex piece of technology with more than 2000 moving
> parts. It’s still one of the best tools to focus on writing. Well, not
> really. I prefer the younger Lettera 32, which is barely 50 years old
> (on the right in the picture).
>
> Typewriters are incredibly complex and precise piece of machinery. At
> their peak in the decades around World War II, we built them so well
> that, today, we don’t need to build any typewriters anymore. We simply
> have enough of them on earth. You may object that it’s because nobody
> uses them anymore. It’s not true. Lots of writers keep using them, they
> became trendy in the 2010s and, to escape surveillance, some secret
> services started to use them back. It’s a very niche but existing
> market.
>
> Let’s that idea sink in: we basically built enough typewriters for the
> world in less than a century. If we want more typewriters, the solution
> is not to build more but to find them in attics and restore them. For
> most typewriters, restoration is only a matter of taking the time to do
> it. There’s no complex skills or tools involved. Even the most difficult
> operations could be learned alone, by simple trial and error. The whole
> theory needed to understand a typewriter is the typewriter itself.
>
> By contrast, we have to change our laptops every three or four
> years. Our phones every couple of years. And all other pieces of
> equipment (charger,router, modem,printers,…) need to be changed
> regularly.
>
> Even with proper maintenance, they simply fade out. They are not
> compatible with their environment anymore. It’s impossible for one
> person alone to understand perfectly what they are doing, let alone
> repair them. Batteries wear out. Screen cracks. Processors become
> obsolete. Software becomes insecure when they don’t crash or refuse to
> launch.
>
> It’s not that you changed anything in your habits. You still basically
> communicate with people, look for information, watch videos. But today
> your work is on Slack. Which requires a modern CPU to load the interface
> of what is basically a slick IRC. Your videoconference software uses a
> new codec which requires a new processor. And a new wifi router. Your
> mail client is now 64 bits only. If you don’t upgrade, you are left out
> in the cold.
>
> Of course, computers are not typewriters. They do a lot more than
> typewriters.
>
> But could we imagine a computer built like a typewriter? A computer that
> could stay with you for your lifetime and get passed to your children?
>
> Could we build a computer designed to last at least fifty years?
>
> Well, given how we use the resources of our planet, the question is not
> if we could or not. We need to do it, no matter what.
>
> So, how could we build a computer to last fifty years ? That’s what I
> want to explain in this essay. In my notes, I’m referring to this object
> as the #ForeverComputer. You may find a better name. It’s not really
> important. It’s not the kind of objects that will have a yearly keynote
> to present the new shiny model and ads everywhere telling us how
> revolutionary it is.  Focusing on timeless use cases
>
> There’s no way we can predict what will be the next video codec or the
> next wifi standard. There’s no point in trying to do it. We can’t even
> guess what kind of online activity will be trendy in the next two years.
>
> Instead of trying to do it all, we could instead focus on building a
> machine that will do timeless activities and do them well. My typewriter
> from 1944 is still typing. It is still doing something I find
> useful. Instead of trying to create a generic gaming station/Netflix
> watching computer, let’s accept a few constraints.
>
> The machine will be built to communicate in written format. It means
> writing and reading. That covers already a lot of use cases. Writing
> documents. Writing emails. Reading mails, documents, ebooks. Searching
> on the network for information. Reading blogs and newsletters and
> newsgroups.
>
> It doesn’t seem much but, if you think about it, it’s already a
> lot. Lots of people would be happy to have a computer that does only
> that. Of course, the graphic designers, the movie makers and the gamers
> would not be happy with such a computer. That’s not the point. It’s just
> that we don’t need a full-fledged machine all the time. Dedicated and
> powerful workstations would still exist but could be shared or be less
> often renewed if everybody had access to its own writing and reading
> device.
>
> By constraining the use cases, we create lots of design opportunities.
> Hardware
>
> The goal of the 50-year computer is not to be tiny, ultra-portable and
> ultra-powerful. Instead, it should be sturdy and resilient.
>
> Back in the typewriter’s day, a 5 kg machine was considered as
> ultraportable. As I was used to a 900 g MacBook and felt that my 1,1kg
> Thinkpad was bulky, I could not imagine being encumbered. But, as I
> started to write on a Freewrite (pictured between my typewriters), I
> realised something important. If we want to create long-lasting objects,
> the objects need to be able to create a connection with us.
>
> A heavier and well-designed object feels different. You don’t have it
> always with you just in case. You don’t throw it in your bag without
> thinking about it. It is not there to relieve you from your
> boredom. Instead, moving the object is a commitment. A conscious act
> that you need it. You feel it in your hands, you feel the weight. You
> are telling the object: « I need you. You have a purpose. » When such a
> commitment is done, the purpose is rarely « scroll an endless stream of
> cat videos ». Having a purpose makes it harder to throw the object away
> because a shiny new version has been released. It also helps draw the
> line between the times where you are using the object and the times you
> are not.
>
> Besides sturdiness, one main objective from the ForeverComputer would be
> to use as little electricity as possible. Batteries should be easily
> swappable.
>
> In order to become relevant for the next 50 years, the computer needs to
> be made of easily replaceable parts. Inspirations are the Fairphone and
> the MNT Reform laptop. The specifications of all the parts need to be
> open source so anybody can produce them, repair them or even invent
> alternatives. The parts could be separated in a few logical blocks : the
> computing unit, which include a motherboard, CPU and RAM, the powering
> unit, aka the battery, the screen, the keyboard, the networking unit,
> the sound unit and the storage unit. All of this come in a case.
>
> Of course, each block could be made of separate components that could be
> fixed but making clear logical blocks with defined interfaces allows for
> easier compatibility.
>
> The body requires special attention because it will be the essence of
> the object. As for the ship of Theseus, the computer may stay the same
> even if you replace every part. But the enclosing case is special. As
> long as you keep the original case, the feeling toward the object would
> be that nothing has changed.
>
> Instead of being mass-produced in China, ForeverComputers could be built
> locally, from open source blueprints. Manufacturers could bring their
> own skills in the game, their own experience. We could go as far as
> linking each ForeverComputer to a system like Mattereum where
> modifications and repairs will be listed. Each computer would thus be
> unique, with a history of ownership.
>
> As with the Fairphone, the computer should be built with materials as
> ethical as possible. If you want to create a connection with an object,
> if you want to give him a soul, that object should be as respectful of
> your ethical principles as possible.  Opiniated choices
>
> As we made the choice to mostly use the computer for written
> interaction, it makes sense, in the current affair of the technology, to
> use an e-ink screen. E-ink screens save a lot of power. This could make
> all the difference between a device that you need to recharge every
> night, replacing the battery every two years, and a device that
> basically sit idle for days, sometimes weeks and that you recharge once
> in a while. Or that you never need to recharge if, for example, the
> external protective case comes with solar panels or an emergency crank.
>
> E-ink is currently harder to use with mouses and pointing devices. But
> we may build the computer without any pointing device. Geeks and
> programmers know the benefit of keyboard oriented workflows. They are
> efficient but hard to learn.
>
> With dedicated software, this problem could be smartly addressed. The
> Freewrite has a dedicated part of the screen, mostly used for text
> statistics or displaying the time. The concept could be extended to
> display available commands. Most people are ready to learn how to use
> their tools. But, by changing the interface all the time with unexpected
> upgrades, by asking designers to innovate instead of being useful, we
> forbid any long-term learning, considering users as idiots instead of
> empowering them.
>
> Can we create a text-oriented user interface with a gradual learning
> curve? For a device that should last fifty years, it makes sense. By
> essence, such device should reveal itself, unlocking its powers
> gradually. Careful design will not be about « targeting a given customer
> segment » but « making it useful to humans who took the time to learn it
> ».
>
> Of course, one could imagine replacing the input block to have a
> keyboard with a pointing device, like the famous Thinkpad red dot. Or a
> USB mouse could be connected. Or the screen could be a touchscreen. But
> what if we tried to make it as far as we could without those?
>
> E-ink and no pointing would kill the endless scrolling, forcing us to
> think of the user interface as a textual tool that should be efficient
> and serve the user, even if it requires some learning. Tools need to be
> learned and cared. If you don’t need to learn it, if you don’t need to
> care for it, then it’s probably not a tool. You are not using it, you
> are the one used.
>
> Of course, this doesn’t mean that every user should learn to program in
> order to be able to use it. A good durable interface requires some
> learning but doesn’t require some complex mental models. You understand
> intuitively how a typewriter works. You may have to learn some more
> complex features like tabulations. But you don’t need to understand how
> the inside mechanism works to brink the paper forward with each key
> press.  Offline first
>
> Our current devices expect to be online all the time. If you are
> disconnected for whatever reason, you will see plenty of notifications,
> plenty of errors. In 2020, MacOS users infamously discovered that their
> OS was sending lots of information to Apple’s servers because, for a few
> hours, those servers were not responding, resulting in an epidemic of
> bugs and error. At the same time, simply trying to use my laptop offline
> allowed me to spot a bug in the Regolith Linux distribution. Expecting
> to be online, a small applet was trying to reconnect furiously, using
> all the available CPU. The bug was never caught before me because very
> few users go offline for an extended period of time (it should be noted
> that it was fixed in the hours following my initial report, open source
> is great).
>
> This permanent connectivity has a deep effect on our attention and on
> the way we use computers. By default, the computer is notifying us all
> the time with sounds and popups. Disabling those requires heavy
> configuration and sometimes hack. On MacOS, for example, you can’t
> enable No Disturb mode permanently. By design, not being disturbed is
> something that should be rare. The hack I used was to configure the mode
> to be set automatically between 3AM and 2AM.
>
> When you are online, your brain knows that something might be happening,
> even without notification. There might be a new email waiting for you. A
> new something on a random website. It’s there, right on your
> computer. Just move the current window out of the way and you may have
> something that you are craving: newness. You don’t have to think. As
> soon as you hit some hard thought, your fingers will probably
> spontaneously find a diversion.
>
> But this permanent connectivity is a choice. We can design a computer to
> be offline first. Once connected, it will synchronise everything that
> needs to be: mails will be sent and received, news and podcasts will be
> downloaded from your favourite websites and RSS, files will be backuped,
> some websites or gemini pods could even be downloaded until a given
> depth. This would be something conscious. The state of your sync will be
> displayed full screen. By default, you would not be allowed to use the
> computer while it is online. You would verify that all the sync is
> finished then take the computer back offline. Of course, the full screen
> could be bypassed but you would need to consciously do it. Being online
> would not be the mindless default.
>
> This offline first design would also have a profound impact on the
> hardware. It means that, by default, the networking block could be
> wired. All you need is a simple RJ-45 plug.
>
> We don’t know how wifi protocols will change. There are good chance that
> today’s wifi will not be supported by tomorrow’s routers or only as a
> fallback alternative. But chances are that RJ-45 will stay for at least
> a few decades. And if not RJ-45, a simple adaptor could be printed.
>
> Wifi has other problems: it’s a power hog. It needs to always scan the
> background. It is unreliable and complex. If you want to briefly connect
> to wifi, you need to enable wifi, wait for the background scan, choose
> the network where to connect, cross your fingers that it is not some
> random access point that wants to spy your data, enter the
> password. Wait. Reenter that password because you probably wrote a zero
> instead of a O. Wait. It looks to be connected. Is it? Are the files
> synchronised? Why was the connection interrupted? Am I out of range? Are
> the walls too thick?
>
> By contrast, all of this could be achieved by plugging a RJ-45 cable. Is
> there a small green or orange light? Yes, then the cable is well
> plugged, problem solved. This also adds to the consciousness of
> connection. You need to walk to a router and physically connect the
> cable. It feels like loading the tank with information.
>
> Of course, the open source design means that anybody could produce a
> wifi or 5G network card that you could plug in a ForeverComputer. But,
> as with pointing devices, it is worth trying to see how far we could go
> without it.  Introducing peer-to-peer connectivity
>
> The Offline First paradigm leads to a new era of connectivity: physical
> peer to peer. Instead of connecting to a central server, you could
> connect two random computers with a simple cable.
>
> During this connection, both computers will tell each other what they
> need and, if by any chance they can answer one of those needs, they
> will. They could also transmit encrypted messages for other users, like
> bottles in the sea. If you ever happen to meet Alice, please give her
> this message.
>
> Peer-to-peer connectivity implies strong cryptography. Private
> information should be encrypted with no other metadata than the
> recipient. The computer connecting to you have no idea if you are the
> original sender or just one node in the transmission chain. Public
> information should be signed, so you are sure that they come from a user
> you trust.
>
> This also means that our big hard disks would be used fully. Instead of
> sitting on a lot of empty disk spaces, your storage will act as a
> carrier for others. When full, it will smartly erase older and probably
> less important stuff.
>
> In order to use my laptop offline, I downloaded Wikipedia, with
> pictures, using the software Kiwix. It only takes 30Go of my hard drive
> and I’m able to have Wikipedia with me all the time. I only miss a towel
> to be a true galactic hitchhiker.
>
> In this model, big centralised servers only serve as a gateway to make
> things happen faster. They are not required anymore. If a central
> gateway disappears, it’s not a big deal.
>
> But it’s not only about Wikipedia. Protocols like IPFS may allow us to
> build a whole peer-to-peer and serverless Internet. In some rural areas
> of the planet where broadbands are not easily available, such Delay
> Tolerant Networks (DTNs) are already working and extensively used,
> including to browse the web.  Software
>
> It goes without saying that, in order to built a computer that could be
> used for the next 50 years, every software should be open source.
>
> Open source means that bugs and security issues could be solved long
> after the company that coded them has disappeared. Once again, look at
> typewriters. Most companies have disappeared or have been transformed
> beyond any recognition (try to bring back your IBM Selectric to an IBM
> dealer and ask for a repair, just to see the look on their face. And,
> yes, your IBM Selectric is probably exactly 50 years old). But
> typewriters are still a thing because you don’t need a company to fix
> them for you. All you need is a bit of time, dexterity and
> knowledge. For missing parts, other typewriters, sometimes from other
> brands, can be scavenged.
>
> For a fifty-year computer to hit the market, we need an operating
> system. This is the easiest part as the best operating systems out there
> are already open source. We also need a user interface who should be
> dedicated to our particular needs. This is hard work but doable.
>
> The peer-to-peer offline-first networking part is probably the most
> challenging part. As said previously, essential pieces like IPFS already
> exist. But everything needs to be glued together with a good user
> interface.
>
> Of course, it might make sense to rely on some centralised servers
> first. For example, building on Debian and managing to get all dedicated
> features uploaded as part of the Official Debian repository already
> offers some long-term guarantees.
>
> The main point is to switch our psychological stance about technological
> projects. Let’s scrap the Silicon Valley mentality of trying to stay
> stealthy then to suddenly try to get as many market share as possible in
> order to hire more developers.
>
> The very fact that I’m writing this in the public is a commitment to the
> spirit of the project. If we ever manage to build a computer which is
> usable in 50 years and I’m involved, I want it highlighted that since
> the first description, everything was done in the open and free.  More
> about the vision
>
> A computer built to last 50 years is not about market shares. It’s not
> about building a brand, raising money from VC and being bought by a
> monopoly. It’s not about creating a unicorn or even a good business.
>
> It’s all about creating a tool to help humanity survive. It’s all about
> taking the best of 8 billion brains to create this tool instead of
> hiring a few programmers.
>
> Of course, we all need to pay bills. A company might be a good vehicle
> to create the computer or at least parts of it. There’s nothing wrong
> with a company. In fact, I think that a company is currently the best
> option. But, since the very beginning, everything should be built by
> considering that the product should outlast the company.
>
> Which means that customers will buy a tool. An object. It will be
> theirs. They could do whatever they want with it afterward.
>
> It seems obvious but, nowadays, nearly every high technological item we
> have is not owned by us. We rent them. We depend on the company to use
> them. We are not allowed to do what we want. We are even forced to do
> things we don’t want such as upgrading software at an inappropriate
> time, sending data about us and hosting software we don’t use that can’t
> be removed or using proprietary clouds.
>
> When you think about it, the computer built to last 50 years is trying
> to address the excessive consumption of devices, to fight monopolies, to
> claim back our attention, our time and our privacy and free us from
> abusive industries.
>
> Isn’t that a lot for a single device? No because those problems are all
> different faces of the same coin. You can’t fight them separately. You
> can’t fight on their own grounds. The only hope? Changing the
> ground. Changing the rules of the game.
>
> The ForeverComputer is not a replacement. It will not be better than
> your MacBook or your android tablet. It will not be cheaper. It will be
> different. It will be an alternative. It will allow you to use your time
> on a computer differently.
>
> It doesn’t need to replace everything else to win. It just needs to
> exist. To provide a safe place. Mastodon will never replace
> Twitter. Linux desktop never replaced Windows. But they are huge
> successes because they exist.
>
> We can dream. If the concept becomes popular enough, some businesses
> might try to become compatible with that niche market. Some popular
> websites or services may try to become available on a device which is
> offline most of the time, which doesn’t have a pointer by default and
> which has only an e-ink screen.
>
> Of course, those businesses would need to find something else than
> advertising, click rates and views to earn money. That’s the whole
> point. Each opportunity to replace an advertising job (which includes
> all the Google and Facebook employees) by an honest way to earn money is
> a step in destroying our planet a bit less.  Building the first layers
>
> There’s a fine equilibrium at play when an innovation tries to change
> our relationship with technology. In order to succeed, you need
> technologies, a product and contents. Most technologists try to build
> technologies first, then products on top of it then waits for
> content. It either fails or become a niche thingy. To succeed, there
> should be a game of back and forth between those steps. People should
> gradually use the new products without realising it.
>
> The ForeverComputer that I described here would never gain real traction
> if released today. It would be incompatible with too much of the content
> we consume every day.
>
> The first very small step I imagined is building some content that
> could, later, be already compatible. Not being a hardware guy (I’m a
> writer with a software background), it’s also the easiest step I could
> do today myself.
>
> I call this first step WriteOnly. It doesn’t exist yet but is a lot more
> realistic than the ForeverComputer.
>
> WriteOnly, as I imagine it, is a minimalist publishing tool for
> writers. The goal is simple : write markdown text files on your
> computer. Keep them. And let them published by WriteOnly. The readers
> will choose how they read you. They can read it on a website like a
> blog, receive your text by email or RSS if they subscribed, they can
> also choose to read you through Gemini or DAT or IPFS. They may receive
> a notification through a social network or through the fediverse. It
> doesn’t matter to you. You should not care about it, just write. Your
> text files are your writing.
>
> Features are minimal. No comments. No tracking. No statistics. Pictures
> are dithered in greyscale by default (a format that allows them to be
> incredibly light while staying informative and sharper than full-colour
> pictures when displayed on an e-ink screen).
>
> The goal of WriteOnly is to stop having the writers worrying about where
> to post a particular piece. It’s also a fight against censorship and
> cultural conformity. Writers should not try to write to please the
> readers of a particular platformn according to the metrics of that
> platform moguls. They should connect with their inner selves and write,
> launching words into the ether.
>
> We never know what will be the impact of our words. We should set our
> writing free instead of reducing it to a marketing tool to sell stuff or
> ourselves.
>
> The benefit of a platform like WriteOnly is that adding a new method of
> publishing would automatically add all the existing content to it. The
> end goal is to have your writing available to everyone without being
> hosted anywhere. It could be through IPFS, DAT or any new blockchain
> protocol. We don’t know yet but we can already work on WriteOnly as an
> open source platform.
>
> We can also already work on the ForeverComputer. There will probably be
> different flavours. Some may fail. Some may reinvent personal computing
> as we know it.
>
> At the very least, I know what I want tomorrow.
>
> I want an open source, sustainable, decentralised, offline-first and
> durable computer.
>
> I want a computer built to last 50 years and sit on my desk next to my
> typewriter.
>
> I want a ForeverComputer.  Make it happen
>
> As I said, I’m a software guy. I’m unlikely to make a ForeverComputer
> happen alone. But I still have a lot of ideas on how to do it. I also
> want to focus on WriteOnly first. If you think you could help make it a
> reality and want to invest in this project contact me on lionel at
> ploum.net.
>
> If you would like to use a ForeverComputer or WriteOnly, you can either
> follow this blog (which is mostly in French) or subscribe here to a
> dedicated mailing list. I will not sell those emails, I will not share
> them and will not use them for anything else than telling you about the
> project when it becomes reality. In fact, there’s a good chance that no
> mail will ever be sent to that dedicated mailing list. And to make
> things harder, you will have to confirm your email address by clicking
> on a link in a confirmation mail written in French.
>
> UPDATE december 2022 : the mailing-list is now an open discussion-list:
> https://lists.sr.ht/~lioploum/forevercomputer
>
>     https://lists.sr.ht/~lioploum/forevercomputer
>
> Further Reads
>
> « The Future of Stuffs », by Vinay Gupta. A short, must-read, book about
> our relationship with objects and manufacturing.
>
> « The Typewriter Revolution », by Richard Polt. A complete book and
> guide about the philosophy behind typewriters in the 21st century. Who
> is using them, why and how to use one yourself in an era of permanent
> connectivity.
>
> NinjaTrappeur home built a digital typewriter with an e-ink screen in a
> wooden case: https://alternativebit.fr/posts/ultimate-writer/
>
>     https://alternativebit.fr/posts/ultimate-writer/
>
> Another DIY project with an e-ink screen and a solar panel included:
> https://forum.ei2030.org/t/e-ink-low-power-cpu-solar-power-3-sides-of-the-same-lid/82
>
>     https://forum.ei2030.org/t/e-ink-low-power-cpu-solar-power-3-sides-of-the-same-lid/82
>
> SL is using an old and experimental operating system (Plan9) which
> allows him to do only what he wants (mails, simple web browsing and
> programming).  http://helpful.cat-v.org/Blog/2019/12/03/0/
>
>     http://helpful.cat-v.org/Blog/2019/12/03/0/
>
> Two artists living off the grid on a sail boat and connecting only
> rarely.  https://100r.co/site/working\_offgrid\_efficiently.html
>
>     https://100r.co/site/working\_offgrid\_efficiently.html
>
> « If somebody would produce a simple typewriter, an electronic
> typewriter that was silent, that I could use on airplanes, that would
> show me a screen of 8 1/2 by 11, like a regular page, and I could store
> it and print it out as a manuscript, I would buy one in a second! »
> (Harlan Ellison, SF writer and Startrek scenarist)
> http://harlanellison.com/interview.htm
>
>     http://harlanellison.com/interview.htm
>
> LowTech magazine has an excellent article about low-tech Internet,
> including Delay Tolerant Networks.
> https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/how-to-build-a-low-tech-internet.html
>
>     https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2015/10/how-to-build-a-low-tech-internet.html
>
> Another LowTech magazine article about the impact typewriters and
> computers had on office work.
> https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2016/11/why-the-office-needs-a-typewriter-revolution.html
>
>     https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2016/11/why-the-office-needs-a-typewriter-revolution.html
>
> UPDATE 6th Feb 2020 : Completely forgot about Scuttlebutt, which is an
> offline-first, p2p social network. It does exactly what I’m describing
> here to communicate.
>
>     https://scuttlebutt.nz/get-started/
>
> A good very short introduction about it on BoingBoing :
>
>     https://boingboing.net/2017/04/07/bug-in-tech-for-antipreppers.html
>
> UPDATE 8th Feb 2020 : The excellent « Tales from the Dork Web » has an
> issue on The 100 Year Computer which is strikinly similar to this piece.
>
>     https://thedorkweb.substack.com/p/the-100-year-computer
>
> I also add this attempt at a Offline-first protocol : the Pigeon
> protocol :
>
>     https://github.com/PigeonProtocolConsortium/pigeon-spec
>
> And another e-ink DIY typewriter :
>
>     https://hackaday.com/2019/02/18/offline-e-paper-typewriter-lets-you-write-without-distractions/
>
> UPDATE 15th Feb 2020 : Designer Micah Daigle has proposed the concept of
> the Prose, an e-ink/distraction free laptop.
>
>     https://medium.com/this-should-exist/prose-a-distraction-free-e-ink-laptop-for-thinkers-writers-4182a62d63b2
>
> I’m Ploum, a writer and an engineer. I like to explore how technology
> impacts society. You can subscribe by email or by rss. I value privacy
> and never share your adress.
>
> I write science-fiction novels in French. For Bikepunk, my new
> post-apocalyptic-cyclist book, my publisher is looking for contacts in
> other countries to distribute it in languages other than French. If you
> can help, contact me!
>
> Source:
><https://ploum.net/the-computer-built-to-last-50-years/index.html>

I'd chose portable formats and protocols for some tools:

-UTF8 files work everywhere and they can converted easily into plain
ASCII with iconv and the TRANSLIT parameter
-UTF8 files for plotting, with gnuplot or anything.
Set a column based array for every axis.
-ZMachine for text games and some applications
-Gopher with UTF-8/Finger for quick queries
-IRC + whatever encryption layer on top
-Email/Usenet for async comms
-AU/WAV for media, FLAC for compressed files
-9p for universal file transfers, and your favourite compression proto/tool on top.
-On images, flarblerd it's easily parseable, and you can use any compression 
tool on top.
-Tar+Gzip/zip to compress/decompress. 
-Forth/Lisp to bootstrap anything. With Forth you can create tons of tools
with dictionary words, and with Lisp you can create a Math Cas with less than 200
lines, enough to Calculus. From a Forth machine with I/O, you can create a ZMachine
(zmachine.ps exists as a base in GhostScript), thus, you can run from Zork
to Tristram Island, Rogue, Anchorhead, Tetris, Madbomber and even Star Trek.

For users, knowing both English and Spanish makes you mega-powerful.
Italians, German, Norvegian/Swedish/Dane and French speakers will  
be able to read either in Spanish or English and simple news, and you now
are able to communicate with almost 3/4 of the world.
I'm not talking about reaching to a  Shakespeare/Wilde or Cervantes/Borges level,
but enough to read some newspaper/blog and understand a 90% of it.
Forget the Spanish subdialects; once you speak like a news anchor omiting all 
the local jargon (except the uber common curse words like 
joder/cabrón and so on)
the 99% of the Spanish speaking world will understand you
perfectly well.
If not, the online RAE dictionary will cover *any* word in *any* dialect
with *any* sense, no matter how obscure.
Ditto with English. Albeit as a native Spanish speaker, the British English 
media feels more convoluted and 'poetic' than American English books/articles.

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the computer built to last 50 years Salvador Mirzo <smirzo@example.com> - 2025-03-17 14:27 -0300
  Re: the computer built to last 50 years Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-03-17 23:30 +0000
    Re: the computer built to last 50 years Bruce <07.013@scorecrow.com> - 2025-03-18 18:33 +0000
      Re: the computer built to last 50 years Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-03-18 21:16 +0000
        Re: the computer built to last 50 years Bruce <07.013@scorecrow.com> - 2025-03-19 18:31 +0000
          Re: the computer built to last 50 years Bob Eager <news0009@eager.cx> - 2025-03-19 21:20 +0000
          Re: the computer built to last 50 years Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> - 2025-03-19 23:54 +0000
    Re: the computer built to last 50 years anthk <anthk@openbsd.home> - 2025-05-12 06:24 +0000
  Re: the computer built to last 50 years anthk <anthk@openbsd.home> - 2025-03-18 11:23 +0000
  Re: the computer built to last 50 years not@telling.you.invalid (Computer Nerd Kev) - 2025-03-19 08:02 +1000

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