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'''Permacomputing''' is a concept and [https://permacomputing.net/ movement] which consists on extending the longevity of information technology (IT) devices and [[wikipedia:Data_preservation|data preservation]].
'''Permacomputing''' is a concept and [https://permacomputing.net/ movement] which consists of [[wikipedia:Sustainability|sustainable]] information technology (IT) devices and [[wikipedia:Data_preservation|data preservation]]. In short, [[wikipedia:Permaculture|'''permaculture''']] in computing.


Permacomputing is the antithesis of [[planned obsolescence]] (and anything related to it) and [[Bloatware|bloat]].
Permacomputing is the antithesis of [[planned obsolescence]] (and anything related to it) and [[Bloatware|bloat]].


Permacomputing focuses on:
==Motivation==
 
*'''Simplicity''' (see [[wikipedia:KISS_principle|KISS]]) and [[wikipedia:Minimalism_(computing)|minimalism]]. Because "[https://grugbrain.dev/ complexity bad]". Though, this is not a core value, it's actually a means to an end.
*'''Stability'''. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". But I prefer [[wikipedia:G._K._Chesterton#Chesterton's_fence|Chesterton's Fence]].
*'''Sustainability'''. The most important one!
 
==Why==
Here's a quote from [[wikipedia:Hundred_Rabbits#Permacomputing|100R]] (links added by me; typos corrected):<ref>https://100r.co/site/weathering_software_winter.html</ref><blockquote>Many of the tools that we thought we could rely on broke down, whether it is [[Apple]] products, or software that require [[Subscription service|subscription services]], <abbr>[[Digital rights management|DRM]]</abbr>, etc. As an artist you spend time developing a skill, you become a Photoshop illustrator. When your connection to the internet fails and that the software locks up, that skill that you thought was [[Right to own|yours]] was actually entirely owned by someone, and can be taken away.
Here's a quote from [[wikipedia:Hundred_Rabbits#Permacomputing|100R]] (links added by me; typos corrected):<ref>https://100r.co/site/weathering_software_winter.html</ref><blockquote>Many of the tools that we thought we could rely on broke down, whether it is [[Apple]] products, or software that require [[Subscription service|subscription services]], <abbr>[[Digital rights management|DRM]]</abbr>, etc. As an artist you spend time developing a skill, you become a Photoshop illustrator. When your connection to the internet fails and that the software locks up, that skill that you thought was [[Right to own|yours]] was actually entirely owned by someone, and can be taken away.


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This is more than just [[wikipedia:Link_rot|link rot]], it's the increasing complexity of keeping alive indie content on the web, leading to a reliance on platforms and time-sorted publication formats (blogs, feeds, tweets).</blockquote>
This is more than just [[wikipedia:Link_rot|link rot]], it's the increasing complexity of keeping alive indie content on the web, leading to a reliance on platforms and time-sorted publication formats (blogs, feeds, tweets).</blockquote>


==Suggestions==
==Guidelines==
Ideally, this should be a guide, but there is no one-size-fits-all guide to "achieve permacompute nirvana". So here's a list of my own suggestions/"guidelines":
This is not a [[Portal:User Guides|guide]], this is a set of "universal" principles.
 
===Ease of re-creation===
Simple tools are easy to re-implement from scratch, so choose (and learn) simple tools whenever possible. If you ever find yourself in a situation where you have a computer with no software, or you don't even have a computer, you can rely on simple tools and skills to make what you need (or find someone else to do it).
 
If the tool you need is hard to re-implement ''manually'', ensure it's easy to re-create ''automatically''. For example, ensure the tool is widely-available in a source-code form that can be built by a simple compiler (such as [[wikipedia:Tiny_C_Compiler|TCC]]) or executed by a simple interpreter/CPU (interpreters are just [[wikipedia:Virtual_machine|virtual]] CPUs); this is source-level [[wikipedia:Software_portability|portability]].
 
This principle is the basis of [[wikipedia:Bootstrapping_(compilers)|bootstrapping]]. Simple (and tedious) tools can be used to make useful (and complex) tools! This goes hand-in-hand with [[wikipedia:Reproducible_builds|reproducible builds]], which [[User:Rudxain/Object transparency movement|improves transparency]].<ref>https://bootstrappable.org/</ref>
 
Examples of simple programming-languages (typically [[wikipedia:Turing_tarpit|Turing tarpits]]):
 
*[[wikipedia:Forth_(programming_language)|Forth]].<ref>https://github.com/cesarblum/sectorforth</ref> Recommended by 100R.
*[[wikipedia:Lisp_(programming_language)|Lisp]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tunney |first=Justine |date=2021-10-30 |title=SectorLISP Now Fits in One Sector |url=https://justine.lol/sectorlisp/ |access-date=2026-04-26}}</ref>
*[[wikipedia:Lambda_calculus|λ-Calculus]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tunney |first=Justine |date=2022-02-27 |title=Lambda Calculus in 383 Bytes |url=https://justine.lol/lambda/ |access-date=2026-04-26}}</ref> IMO, the most minimal of all. No way to beat it!
*[[wikipedia:Brainfuck|Brainfuck]]
 
===Ubiquity===
If the tool is hard to recreate, ensure it's mostly [[wikipedia:Omnipresence|omnipresent]]. This is "[[wikipedia:Redundancy_(engineering)|useful redundancy]]", as I call it. This way, you can typically rely on it being available in almost any situation.
 
Examples:


===Programming languages===
*[[User:Rudxain/Unix|Unix-like systems]], and their [https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/idx/utilities.html utilities]
If you've seen [[User:Rudxain/Unix|my Unix article]], you probably already know that [[wikipedia:POSIX|POSIX]] [https://pubs.opengroup.org/onlinepubs/9799919799/idx/utilities.html utilities] are the best practical/pragmatic choice. Most notably, <code>sh</code> and [[wikipedia:C_(programming_language)|C]] are the most popular, so you can assume they're portable simply because of their ubiquity. There's even a project that allows compiling C into ''extremely''-portable executables.<ref>https://justine.lol/cosmopolitan/</ref>
*[[wikipedia:MS-DOS|MS-DOS]], because it's the common subset among [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] systems
*[[wikipedia:C_(programming_language)|C]]. BTW, there's a C-compiler that makes ''extremely''-portable executables.<ref>https://justine.lol/cosmopolitan/</ref>


100R recommends [[wikipedia:Forth_(programming_language)|Forth]].
===Interoperability===
{{Main|wikipedia:Interoperability}}
Ensure the tool-set/tool-chain you use is like an orchestra: there must be some ''harmony''. That is, ensure many tools can communicate with each other using common formats and protocols. Ensure ''those'' formats and protocols follow the same guidelines as the tools (simple, [[wikipedia:Open_standard|open]], ubiquitous, etc...). In short, follow [[wikipedia:Unix_philosophy|the Unix Philosophy]]. Even a tiny set of simple tools can be orders-of-magnitude more useful than a single simple tool.


There's also [[wikipedia:Zig_(programming_language)|Zig]], which has "reusable software" as part of its slogan. It also has good-enough C [[wikipedia:Interoperability|interop]]. However, it's still in an [[wikipedia:API#Public_API_implications|API-unstable]] state, so you'll have to wait before everything is settled.
Examples:


If you're a permacomputing ''extremist'', I'd recommend more "universal" langs, which tend to be [[wikipedia:Turing_tarpit|Turing tarpits]]:
*[[wikipedia:Lua|Lua]]. A simple and powerful lang built for embeddability and [[wikipedia:Extensibility|extensibility]]. It's also '''the''' lang used to make MediaWiki modules.
*[[wikipedia:Zig_(programming_language)|Zig]], which has "reusable software" as part of its slogan. It also has C [[wikipedia:Interoperability|interop]]. However, it's still in an [[wikipedia:API#Public_API_implications|API-unstable]] state, so you'll have to wait before everything is settled.


*The [[wikipedia:Lambda_calculus|λ-Calculus]] family is, IMO, the most minimal of all. No way to beat it!<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tunney |first=Justine |date=2022-02-27 |title=Lambda Calculus in 383 Bytes |url=https://justine.lol/lambda/ |access-date=2026-04-26}}</ref>
===Archivability===
*The [[wikipedia:Lisp_(programming_language)|Lisp]] family is the best example of syntactical/grammatical simplicity. But some can be semantically complex.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tunney |first=Justine |date=2021-10-30 |title=SectorLISP Now Fits in One Sector |url=https://justine.lol/sectorlisp/ |access-date=2026-04-26}}</ref>
(yes, that's a [[wikt:archivability|real word]]) this is more about data/info than computing. When all else fails, at the very least, ensure data can be easily copied and archived. This isn't just for tools, it's about any kind of data: personal memories, historical events, etc...
*Any lang that has an almost 1-to-1 mapping to [[wikipedia:Turing_machine|Turing Machines]] (such as [[wikipedia:Brainfuck|Brainfuck]]), is also a good candidate, since they're easy to implement on real computers. But they can be quite slow because of their [[wikipedia:Sequential_access_memory|sequential-access memory]]. You might want a [[wikipedia:Random-access_machine|RAM]].


If you care more about reliability and [[wikipedia:Fault_tolerance|fault tolerance]] than simplicity:
Universal truths, such as those found in math and physics, can be "extracted" and derived any time. But ''events'' are more unique, so those are in great danger of being forgotten (see also: [[wikipedia:Lost_media|lost media]]). You don't have to become a [[wikipedia:Digital_hoarding|data hoarder]], just focus on important data.


*🦀 [[wikipedia:Rust_(programming_language)|Rust]]. My fav <s>and my wife, but I'm considering an affair with Zig</s>.
BTW, there's a common misconception that physical media is better than digital media. The main problem is [[wikipedia:Centralized_computing|centralized]] media (typically on the [[Cloud (service)|cloud]]). Physical media is ''still'' digital (unless it's analog, like magnetic tape or vinyl records), it's just outside of a device.
*[[wikipedia:Erlang_(programming_language)|Erlang]] and [[wikipedia:Elixir_(programming_language)|Elixir]]
*[[wikipedia:Ada_(programming_language)|Ada]]


==External links==
==External links==
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==See also==
==See also==


*[[wikipedia:Appropriate_technology|Appropriate technology]]
*[[Projects:Archive everything|Archive everything]]
*[[Projects:Archive everything|Archive everything]]
*[[Self-hosting]]
*[[wikipedia:KISS_principle|K.I.S.S. principle]]
*[[wikipedia:Minimalism_(computing)|Minimalism in computing]]
*[[wikipedia:Fault_tolerance|Fault tolerance]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
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