07-12-2024 - FRST: Personal Computing and the Model 3
====

_This is the conclusion of a first attempt to compose my thoughts on
"Personal Computing" and how I sought to address it for myself,
primarily, with my FRST Computer project, and the Model 3_

.... picking up the thread of disillusionment with modern computing ...

You see, like a lot of folks these days, I've been growing increasingly
restless with the current state of computing -- from witnessing the
inevitable demise of Web 2.0 supremacy, to less-and-less
planet-friendly device manufacturing to the out-of-control privacy
invasions of the ad-tech-fueled modern web.  And as I consider this
current state, I can't help but look back over the not-too-distant
technology past to look for lessons.

## What is (was?) "personal computing"?

I grew up squarely in the middle of the "personal computing" era,
(I'm a young gen-Xer) and this is a fact for which I have been very
grateful.  It has given me my career and I believe it continues to
provide a relevant perspective on technology today.  But what is a
"personal" computer, anyway?  And is its era really over?  Did the
smartphone or tablet kill it?  Eclipse it?  Or perhaps the modern
smartphone is the very epitomy of "personal computer" -- a computer
/ device that connects us so *effectively* and *immediately* to the
wide world -- such an intimate extension of our very bodies it
prompts us to check it MANY times each day.  Certainly many aspects of
personal computing live on in the smartphone.

How about mixed reality ("spatial computing", anyone?) devices?  They
promise to usher in some new way of immersing our very body / person
in all of technology's glory.  Maybe *this* is in fact what the
visionaries (businessmen, capitalists) of the "personal computer
revolution" envisioned?  But like many I've encountered here in
gopherspace, (and the other oldest Internet neighborhoods) I am
skeptical.

What about my M1 MacBook Pro?  Is that still a "personal computer"?
Certainly.  And I'm quite satsified with it.  It does a very effective
job at helping me navigate the modern online world, providing an
efficient development platform for my dayjob, etc.  It's still a great
personal computer -- maybe *it* is the ideal?  Quite possibly.  It is
truly one of the most highly evolved / refined personal computers to
date.   But... it's not exactly exciting anymore.  :)  Nor is it
especially self-expressive.  My Beige G4, by contrast -- adorned with
hand-drawn stickers, customized and accessorized, inside and out --
is truly unique.

Which brings me back to FRST, and the Model 3...  The ultimate
"personal" computer -- get it? :)  You see, I wanted something
for me.  It evolved from my own personal desires for a
device that was portable, efficient, minimalistic, attractive.
("if you're going to build a time machine ... do it with style!")
I wanted something that could perform all of the "essential"
functions of "personal computing" - or, again, essential for me.

What are the essentials then?  Well, let's go back to the Beige G4...
It was actually around this time (roughly-speaking) where some of this
starting going off the rails.  But computing -- personal computing --
of that time had already brought us some of its greatest hits:

## "Personal Computing's Greatest Hits":

 - Connecting us with other real people on the other end of a modem
    or network connection
 - Enabling communities to form around those connection points
 - Inspiring personal expression through technology-based art mediums
    (digital sound, visual arts, creative software development, etc.)
 - Promoting the free exchange of information -- ideas, facts,
    research, science, faith, philosophy, the aforementioned art
 - ... more, I'm sure, but hopefully this list is enough to convey the
    theme of "connecting people"
 - offering a new and distinct canvas for personal expression

## FRST Model 3: A computer that will keep playing them...

And that has led me to the conclusion that a computer doesn't really
have to be especially sophisticated to do these things.  Humanity has
built some truly impressive machines in recent years, (and they
certainly have their place) but I don't think we have to keep
following this timeline.  I've started building another
one -- the timeline I want to live in, really -- where "personal
computers" just kept playing these "greatest hits" as they got
smaller, portable, and connected through proximity, where the
digital / virtual neighborhoods enmeshed more seamlessly into our
real neighborhoods.  (Note: this is where "personal computing" meets
"grid computing" -- and why Plan 9 is particularly relevant -- more on
that in a future post)

So that is at least a part of what I want to do with FRST.  As I 
consider what modern computing is offering, I am choosing to explore a
technology path less traveled.  I've already found reward in
discovering that some of the earliest roads on the information
superhighway are still very serviceable.  I built my own Model
3 for traveling these roads to the oldest communities in cyberspace.
It has been worth the building for that reason, alone, but I am
inviting others to join me so we can work together to connect our
local communities by developing effective, people-first,
community-oriented packet radio networks -- networks in which
the best aspects of personal computing can be realized without the
corruption of corporate interest.

## Time to build it faster

This has been a real slow-burn project -- lots of planning, testing,
futzing, research, etc...  It's time to build it faster.  I've spent
the past six months using my two Model 3 prototypes as basic 9front
terminals in order to confirm the viability of the "Plan 9 cyberdeck"
concept.  After making a number of small refinements and one bigger
one, (integrated sx1276 radio -- pi hat!) I'm ready to start building
this out faster!  I have lots of lines of code ahead of me, but I'm
ready.  :)  Stay tuned for progress reports and "day in the life of
a FRST user" posts as I try to kick this into high gear in the coming
weeks...