
Collapse OS - kristianp
https://github.com/hsoft/collapseos/blob/master/README.md
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WalterGR
Previously: Collapse OS (collapseos.org) 753 points by spraak 8 months ago |
316 comments

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21182628](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21182628)

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trollied
Should probably be merged with the other submission that’s currently trending.
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23450287](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23450287)

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WalterGR
In theory, that discussion is primarily about Fourth and this one is primarily
about the OS.

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henearkr
I wonder, after a civilization collapse in some near future, would there
really be that much "older hardware" like floppy disks. Wouldn't the currently
modern hw (usb hdd / sdd) be overwhelmingly more present and in a usable
condition?

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nexuist
I think it depends on your definition of collapse. A total apocalyptic
collapse I think is quite unlikely; even in nuclear war we don't have enough
warheads to cover every square inch of land.

What is far more likely is decentralized collapse, i.e. at the national or
continental level. We see instances of this going on even today, for example
in Syria where basic societal privileges like rule of law and utilities
are/were destroyed. There are a few countries around the world that match this
description.

In that case, old hardware is much more likely to be present, especially if
autonomous gangs roam around looting households and public area freely.
Furthermore, if you imagine that all technology is gone entirely, it would be
much "easier" (relatively, anyways) to build a floppy disk from scratch than
an SSD. Once you reach a certain level of operating system like CollapseOS,
developing and deploying embedded software applications becomes "trivial"
(relatively) which opens up the gateway to autonomous factory machines that
build better machines, that build better machines, that build better products,
etc. until you eventually reach a stage where you are equivalent with modern
production.

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ac29
> In that case, old hardware is much more likely to be present

This project seems to be targeting computers and games consoles from the 1980s
- stuff that hasn't been manufactured in decades. Why is that more likely to
be present than something like a Raspberry Pi, or a WiFi router that can be
flashed with OpenWRT?

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nexuist
Because third world economies run on stuff from the 1980s. Most of the world
still doesn't have WiFi routers.

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henearkr
I don't know everywhere in the world, but at least in some of the poorest
countries of West Africa, in the low-to-middle class (merchants, a large part
of bike/car taxis, salesmen, teachers, IT...) everyone have a smartphone,
using heavily Whatsapp btw. This is the kind of hw that will most likely
remain after a collapse. Survival should concentrate on using smartphones for
general purposes, while trying to not depend on online services (AppleStore,
PlayStore etc).

As a side note, survival best practice would be to depend only on what is the
most likely to remain. Programmers knowing the mainstream languages are the
wide majority, so after losing lots of people, they are the ones most likely
to be still around. Better build an OS based on C/C++, Java, JS.

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teddyh
This is what is it looks like when retrocomputing enthusiasts turn into full-
blown preppers. Like conventional preppers, they have turned mere idle
fantasies of them being relevant and important into apocalyptic visions of
societal collapse, since that would be the only thing capable of making them
such.

Being an enthusiast and having expertise in matters now mostly forgotten or
abandoned is _good_ , since this knowledge might otherwise be forgotten, and
some of it is still occasionally useful when you least expect it. But
scaremongering and encouraging bunker-building is probably counter-productive
at best.

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throwaway_pdp09
The point he makes is extremely valid and your response is simply that you
don't want X to happen so you'll deny it.

Just before covid got big I was warning people to do basic stuff like stock up
a bit just in case, and expect disruption. I literally got laughed at or told
"you're wrong" or "you're being stupid". By people like you. Who won't face up
to actual possibilities. Who drag down those who do, and who try to discredit
those who do something about it.

Covid was a 'apocalyptic visions' just a few months ago. You've nothing to be
proud of, trying to diss this guy. You are not contributing anything.

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stevezsa8
Many countries and governments recommend having atleast 2 weeks supply of food
and water incase of a natural disaster. Not to mention for people who live in
remote places.

So I want to say that you were not laughed at by everyone.

Now... there is a possibility of 'I was correct once... so I am also correct
on other unlikely things that _might_ happen' fallacy.

Not saying you are wrong on this case. Just that you remind me of my dad. He
always thinks things are going to go wrong. Like every day he thinks he'll get
robbed or his car will get stolen. So the one time he hits on a bad situation
he'll remind us how no one listens to him and that he's always right.

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throwaway_pdp09
> Now... there is a possibility of 'I was correct once... so I am also correct
> on other unlikely things that might happen' fallacy.

As you don't know what else I am predicting that will happen, you can't call
it a fallacy. These things WILL happen: serious epidemic (woops, ticked
that!), highly destructive solar flare, catastrophic climate change, diseases
caused antibiotic resistant bacteria, food production problems from widespread
use of what are effectively plant clones (monocultures)[0].

Now tell me I'm wrong, that any these can't happen. They might take a while
but when they hit they could be serious to extremely serious. Low risk but
high consequences.

> Not saying you are wrong on this case.

OK

> Just that you remind me of my dad...

So you are saying I'm wrong or what? I think you're talking down things the
same way as the other poster for the same reason.

Well, I'm not your dad. I'm not here to show off being right. I'm trying to
avoid catastrophic situations. The first step to doing that is identifying the
problems (listed above, I will presume you agree with them?) then deal with
them by actually... dealing with them. That's step 2, which the great majority
of people won't take because it's uncomfortable. Easier to deny.

