The People's Permacomputer Project

vidak

phase-4.md

Big exploration into BASIC, and Tiny BASIC.

The permacomputer needed some sort of user operating environment–a human-computer interface.

The project is opting for the distribution of the software environment in paradigmatic microcomputer BASIC.

The various utilities and tools will be printed as code listings.

The archival quality of paper is many orders of magnitude better than hard disks, CD-ROMs, or other digital mediums.

akkartik

Some evidence of the benefits of paper: https://carlos.bueno.org/2010/09/paper-internet.html

vidak

akkartik wow, just read through this.

This is exactly what I am going on about!

The permacomputer project basically just has to link to this page now, I don’t have to do any work explaining how to archive code in deep time scales.

Thank you very much @akkartik !

blackjack

How easy/hard is it to get the paper out of the resin again without destroying it too much? The article should have described and tested this too. The way it is it’s a backup without ever testing the restoration. So not really a proven/tested backup method.

vidak

__blackjack__ well, perhaps i spoke too soon–

but what i would be trying to achieve with the resin would be a very nice air gap.

i do question the necessity of the resin now.

i actually think paper by itself is sufficient for long term preservation.

lots of copies also need to be made.

vidak

__blackjack__ also, welcome to the forum!