ninakali/flourish-pc

open framework for personal computing

flourish pc

This project aims to create an open framework for personal computing. Cheap, simple, yet practical.

Current release: none yet. But you can check out Work in progress, or take a look at a sibling scavenging/low-tech project chip_scavenger

why?

Two main reasons.

First, it seems the winter is coming. Some projects aim to preserve and bootstrap knowledge about computer operating systems. We want to make sure to preserve personal computing hardware that runs things like Collapse OS.

Second, in many places on this planet the spring has never come in the first place. Even in countries where computer-like devices are common, they usually cannot be used for general-purpose computing easily, nor can they be hacked/repurposed without extensive know-how. One might argue that the adventure of under-$1 powerful ARM chips and easy-to-hack devices like Arduino has made personal computing affordable and straightforward. But unfortunately, one still needs a PC to flash the Arduino.

so, what are you going to do about it?

Suppose Collapse OS is a framework for making bootable OS for scavenge-friendly platforms. In that case, Flourish PC is a framework for building a useful personal computing device using elements one has at hand. Therefore, it's less about specific solutions (though we are planning to provide you with multiple reference implementations) and more about sharing the know-how required for building a computer.

It is challenging to decide what the framework should include, though. For example, should we cover topics ranging from "you have a stick and a stone" to "now we finally produced electron tubes/semiconductor devices"? Probably not; we believe there must be better sources of knowledge regarding those essential-for-preserving-civilization topics. But on the other hand, basic knowledge about digital electronics is necessary for building a computer so we will include a primer on this topic.

community?

At the moment, there is no community around this project. If you are interested in Flourish PC and want to get in touch with the creators, feel free to email Nina at nkali[at]pm[dot]me, or contact her in Discord (ninak) and on Mastodon.

ps

Anime girl art by Sutemo