FungifreundMar 16
Rui Seabra

Dear #FreeSoftware developers...

These governmental attestation requirements popping up all over the world are nothing but a visible escalation step in the war on generic computing.

@pluralistic spoke about it in 2011 and here's a nice transcript for you https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Coming_War_on_General_Computation

I'm not modest enough to not say I was also looking at those writings in the wall, but he's a much better speaker.

Go read that, and please, please, please...

Stop collaborating with the authoritarians.

The Coming War on General Computation - Wikisource, the free online library

Mar 15 at 6:29pmFedilab
Show threadR. SabourinMar 15
@RuiSeabra @pluralistic
Computers are enshittifying at every level. This might be my next purchase.
Show threadThe Great Llama Mar 15
@rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic
Where do you input your age verification? 🤔
Show threadLukas ParkerMar 16
@TheGreatLlama @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic if you know to pull the lever then you are of sufficient age 😂
Show threadFaustoMar 15
@rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic I remember those from my 1960s survey crew days. *Never divide by zero!*
Show threadJohn DetersMar 15

@rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic We had an antique one at home in 1970. (My mom rescued it from her office at work when they were cleaning out the attic.) The thing weighed about 40 pounds.

Not exactly a pocket calculator. Which (in hindsight) was probably one of its better attributes.

Show threadPerspectiveMar 16

@rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic

Not to date myself, but I used the cash register version of this adding machine at my first job! Thanks for posting!
😀👍

Show threadR. SabourinMar 16
@Perspective I certainly remember the big, motor driven cash registers with rows of buttons on the front.
Show threadRupert ReynoldsMar 16
@rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic This is smaller, but it won't boot Linux, so what's the point? ;-)
Show threadR. SabourinMar 16
@RupertReynolds The pinnacle of mechanical computer design IMHO. But does it run Crysis? 😆
Show threadquadrivial, tall and grayingMar 16
@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic I bet it runs DOOM though
Show threadFrank HeijkampMar 16
@quadrivial
It would need the help of a human operator.
@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic
Show threadtthMar 16
@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic Can you run Doom on it ?
Show threadBlort™ 🐀Ⓥ🥋☣️Mar 16

@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic

Pretty sure I saw a video of it running Doom.

Show threadJackMar 16
@[email protected] But will play Doom, yeah?
Show threadMark CrockerMar 16

@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic I own one of these Curta Calculators. The same model. I drag it out from time to time, when I need to do simple calculations.

The square root algorithm is enough of a PITA that I only used it once after learning it.

Show threadRupert ReynoldsMar 16

@mcrocker @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic I never tried square root. That was bad enough on my first electronic calculator, which only had +-*/ and a memory register.

I like the way that if I subtracted one time too many, I could go into reverse and 'undo' the mistake :-)

Show threadMark CrockerMar 16

@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic Yeah, all calculations on the #CurtaCalculator https://www.vcalc.net/ are reversible.

It actually uses the nines complement method https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_complements to do subtraction. Sort of like deliberately rolling over an odometer.

THE CALCULATOR REFERENCE

Calculators, Telephones, Currency, Money

Show threadcpmMar 16

@RupertReynolds
i used to own a basic curta,
early sn#

did all the problems in the book.

square/cubes, and respective roots become intuitive with practice.

@mcrocker @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic

Show threadJuno JoveMar 16
@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic
Yeah I've seen a lot of exploits for this one, with physical access any user can access and execute calc.exe
Show threadredundantblokeMar 16
@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic @GreatDismal
Oh my. One of my favourite novels, Pattern Recognition had these as a side plot point and I always thought these were an invention… is this a derivation from the book or do these really exist and have done so prior to the 21st century?
And can I buy a Buzz Ricksens flight jacket as well?
Show threadThomas DepierreMar 16
@redundantbloke @RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic @GreatDismal they exist. There are even 2 version. Be aware, they are pretty expensive second hand and are pretty hard to reproduce at this scale
Show threadbovazMar 16
@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic it can probably run Doom
Show threadFuzedMar 16
@RupertReynolds @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic but will it play Doom??
Show threadBeccaMar 16
@rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic
Show threadWade RobertsMar 16
@bweller @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic
Show threadChristopherMar 17
@bweller @rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic Collecting slide rules is a thing - I know someone who has written books on the subject and a regular newsletter. (The only slightly unusual side rule I ever had - found in my late father's effects - I donated to him. I'm not a slide rule collector.)
Show threadChuck MillerMar 16

@rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic

At this rate, I'm ready to go find a Chinese abacus.

Show threadMorgan LarosaMar 16
@rsabourin @RuiSeabra @pluralistic yay! My typewriter collection is worthwhile after all!
Show threadRupert ReynoldsMar 17

@RuiSeabra @pluralistic They can never win that war conclusively, mind you. There's always old hardware and software.

I had an odd dream about coping and at one stage I had to program an FPGA to emulate IBM S/360 processor, because my laptop had been enshittified so badly it refused to run the Hercules emulator.

Anyway, my dream said it was possible :-)