My new computer

I'm not sure how I had this idea; it's probably influenced by what I've been reading about permacomputing, combined with my general dissatisfaction with the modern user experience with computers and the internet in general. I'm fortunate enough that I can say "I want none of this", and I can go back to my nostalgia bubble where I interact with people via email, Mastodon, text-based websites, and Gemini.

permacomputing

My new computer has no hardware. It's a small Qemu image running Alpine Linux. The filesystem is encrypted, and I carry it in a small USB stick. Inside, I have a few configured command line applications:

Newsboat, an RSS reader

Lynx, a text-only web browser

Amfora, a Gemini browser

Toot, a Mastodon client

Mutt, the email client I've been using for 20+ years

Tmux, a terminal multiplexer so I can run everything

Plus git and Python so I can work on my open-source projects and run my blog.

The Qemu image is small enough (3.6G currently) that I can easily make backups and snapshots, and because the filesystem is encrypted I don't have to worry about them. When I switch from my work computer to my personal computer I just bring the USB stick with me; same thing next time I upgrade a computer.

Tags

alpine

linux

qemu

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Published on 2023-10-10 20:35:42+00:00 by Beto Dealmeida <roberto@dealmeida.net>.

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