“Approach computer use and acquisition with longevity in mind, considering things like whether you need to buy new hardware, or could you repurpose an old computer or device instead? Does it need to use a computer at all?”
It is only computer.
One choice in regards to computers is to use them less — to find ways without software and to embrace radical simplicity in regards to computing as much as possible.
While I have a great appreciation for this sentiment, it's not easy for me to always put it into practice. The relentless fascination with the computer is blinding, to the point where we sometimes refuse to critique what it's actually for. It's time to figure out what our relationship with computation should be — how could we use computers in a way that increases what makes it compelling and pleasurable to us? How could we make sure this gadget-based hobby that accelerates e-waste through rapid hardware deprecation doesn't burn the planet? How could we reshape our relationship to the digital world as a whole?
“[Make] more local-first tech for communities that stand to gain the most harmony with the approach. Data should live with us like ideas and cultural norms instead of ivory towers that decide to give us glimpses on their rent seeking terms.”
— Mauve
Ensure there are alternative technologies to your own — an ecosystem functions through redundancy. Perhaps we shouldn't build anything new at all, but instead try to make our mindsets and tools compatible with each other's. We have enough tools. If something you depend on suddenly breaks, it should be easily discarded and replaced or re-built. If there's no such redundancy, maybe you should not have that dependency in the first place, but for that you must not fear sacrificing your ability to make certain things. The simpler a system is (i.e. the less moving parts it has), the more predictable its development will be because you'll have less problems that you do not anticipate.
- Accessibility includes supporting old hardware. Nobody has the same economical status as you to afford a new machine.
- Accessibility includes simplicity (where applicable). A complex codebase or system takes away your agency to own & modify it.
- Don't take people's power away by automating an aspect of their life. Empower people via software by letting them make a thing they wouldn't've otherwise.
- Preserve knowledge beyond the swelling and receding trends of what is fashionable under the lens of capitalist computational hegemony — tech that's meant to last is knowledge that's meant to last.
- File over app: if you want to create digital artifacts that last, they must be files you can control. Give people ownership over their data. Use tools that give you this freedom.
Do not tie your identity as a developer to any particular stack, technology, or trend.
1. Notes
2. Projects
2.1. Outdated/archived
Software I'm keeping purely out of sentiment, most from the time when I was fascinated with Rust.
3. Guides
small websites are countercultural. self hosting is countercultural. web 1.0 is countercultural. user experiences that aren’t pillaged by advertisers are countercultural. a completed project is countercultural. a small, reliable tool is countercultural. independent maintenance is counter cultural. useless programs are countercultural. caring is countercultural.
— jes