Fundamentally, I think countercomputing as an idea is centred on rebellion against having our tools, that we paid for, and we own outright, being used to extract value from us without consent or compensation.

We demand agency. We demand control over our own tools. We demand the right to determine for ourselves what our possessions do and do not do.

@mos_8502 Remember when we paid per minute of internet use, per second, and then per megabyte, being per gigabyte. Eventually with the Internet Moins Cher protests things changed for the better. The irony is that with cheap internet, billions can be made, because we have a 24 hour shopping catalogue open, and services can also be sold 24/7. The subscription model, for apps, has resulted in me barely downloading apps now.

@mos_8502 I call it Personal Computing. (As opposed to Industrial Computing as practised by the industrial computing complex.)

edit: a Personal Computer works to its owner's personal agenda and benefit, not somebody else's.

@mos_8502 I'm curious about your thoughts on the MNT reform (https://mntre.com/reform.html) / Framework (https://frame.work/about)?
Open/repairable laptops have come a long way as consumer options since Novena (https://www.crowdsupply.com/sutajio-kosagi/novena)!

If you've opined about them before, would love to see :)

I recently got to catch up with bunnie huang (of Novena & the Precursor mobile device, as you may know) – and am fascinated by his latest work in deeply open/inspectable HW... IR-transparent chips and such! 🤩

Open Hardware—MNT Research GmbH

Read about the MNT Reform Series, Open Hardware, and Open Computing Autonomy.