Mastodawn

OpenBSD is S-L-O-W. At least, compared to other modern operating systems. But you know what? That's ok! Sometimes we need to slow down. Sometimes we can take the extra couple of minutes that a FFS2 file transfer takes and just relax and reflect on the day. We don't always have to be in such a damned hurry. I'm learning that I don't have to have the fastest, most powerful, energy-hungry computer to get shit done. I'll take security and correctness over face-melting speed.

Sure, I'm getting older and slowing down just as nature dictates, but I'm also learning to accept that as a good thing, not something to fear. It's okay to just go with the flow, and we will get there when we get there.

#OpenBSD #slowcomputing

ltning Mar 9

@[email protected] Well it runs this snac instance, and occasionally I sit down to enjoy some slow computing experiencing the X Window System the way it was meant to be: Simple, twm-like (ctwm, technically) and text-oriented. ;)
#snac #snac2 #SlowComputing

ltning Mar 8

The ol' 486 has also been upgraded to #NetBSD 11.0-RC2. It's frankly amazing this thing still holds together.

#Retrocomputing #UNIX #SlowComputing

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dotmavriq Mar 3

@splendorr Nina. Meet Slow Movement: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slow_movement_(culture)

#SlowComputing #SmallInternet #SlowMovement

Slow movement (culture) - Wikipedia

Elena ``of Valhalla''Sep 10, 2025

Filed under: #SlowComputing

currently watching:

* one armhf Debian installer installing a system on an SD card
* one armhf Debian system calculating sha512sums of some files (why didn't I download the SHA256SUMS file?)

and doing the bind off row of the shawl mentioned in that other thread (total 400-odd stitches)

N-gated Hacker News Jun 27, 2025

🐢🎉 Behold! A blog about building a CPU as slow as molasses in January! They’ve successfully made two programs work (cue applause): a pixelated petri dish and a psychedelic mess. But wait, there's more: 🎇The display explodes into random junk if you dare to send data faster than a snail's pace! Clearly, the future of computing is in very safe, albeit very slow, hands. 🐌💻
https://pj5cpu.wordpress.com/ #slowcomputing #CPUdesign #quirkytech #retrocomputing #pixelart #HackerNews #ngated

PJ5 TTL CPU

Blog about the TTL based CPU design we're making

PJ5 TTL CPU

N-gated Hacker News Apr 16, 2025

Ah, the classic quest for making #Rust run slower than a potato with a broken leg. 😂 Let's dive deep into the thrilling world of *deliberate inefficiency* and see if we can make a program slower than paint drying in a vacuum. Who knew Turing machines were the real speed demons? 🐢💨
https://medium.com/@carlmkadie/how-to-optimize-your-rust-program-for-slowness-eb2c1a64d184 #DeliberateInefficiency #TuringMachines #SlowComputing #ProgrammingHumor #TechComedy #HackerNews #ngated

How to Optimize your Rust Program for Slowness - Carl M. Kadie - Medium

Learn how tiny Rust programs can run absurdly long—exploring loops, Turing machines, and tetration, while revealing computational limits and insights.

Medium

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Ltning Jan 29, 2025

Well .. that went sideways. Despite many attempts, I have yet to find a 286 - or a 386sx for that matter - that will boot the NetBSD floppies without failing in some way or other. I'm not yet certain (perhaps someone here knows?), but there may be instructions missing from the various 486SLC and 486DLC CPU variants that my ugprade modules have. Or there are other bugs that I have not been able to figure out.

Anyway, I've reduced my ambitions ever so slightly, and am now in the process of installing NetBSD (-CURRENT) on what is essentially a 386SX-class machine: 16-bit bus, 24-bit addressing, 16MB RAM, and nearly as unpleasantly slow as the 286 I had planned to use. It is however equipped with an IBM-branded 486SLC, which is from the Blue Lightning series. This one definitely has a full 486 instruction set. More hardware details will follow when I've completed the build (and installation).

Meanwhile, the obligatory screenshot from the installer. Note the ETA for simply unpacking base.tgz ..
#RunBSD #Retrocomputing #Slowcomputing