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Comment by jazzythom | Hacker News Reader

If you’re into the D1 get a $25 Mango Pi 1Gb from Alixexpress. They also have very nice minimalist metal cases if you search. Wifi and bluetooth onboard.

This Devterm product looks great largely because it copied the design of the Tandy. But, the reviews for the build quality are damning, the chip is underpowered for this task and some of the design choices make no sense. Who needs a thermal printer in 2022? Why are there two giant bezels on the sides that pop open the case?

But hey nice try. A few more revisions and I might buy one. I like that they’re trying something different, big points there. I wonder if they could put magnetic modules on the back like Motorola’s bricks (phoneblocks?) concept.

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Same reason why I need a UART plug externally accessible

Its a cyberdeck, the more questionable the features the better, because then you can make up silly scenarios about saving the world with it, e.g. doing a direct audit of the network hardware in a datacenter, plug in your serial cable, download the running/stored configs, beam them up to some wifi accessable server, plus generate a paper backup at the same time

or, log into your deck at the start of the day, as you are reading the morning news, you get a printout of today's todo list and agenda

etc, its a lifestyle meme, not a computer

I bought one. The build is actually really good. The bezels are there for easy access for opening (no screws). The thermal printer is just a Retro gimmick which is the whole theme of the devterm. I disagree with LazyDev about the build, it's actually very good IMO, and fun to build.

It basically runs linux but I don't like it too much mainly because the UI isn't suited for the keyboard and the little mouse roller (which is terrible). A form factor like this really needs an entire GUI targetted specifically for it, instead this uses XFCE.

I would say if someone made a GUI specifically targetting the DevTerm it would be great. If you exclusively use a mouseless interface then I would say this is actually quite good in the sense that it's this portable retro thing you can bring to places. But compared to say a small linux ultrabook, the ultrabook is lightyears ahead of this.

Only get this if you want something with retro vibes.

Is it retro? Sounds like some kind of fantasy game. The Tandy it was designed to mimic was actually made to help real people in real work

All forms of retro tech are fantasy games. No retro tool is relevant in modern times. So yes it is a fantasy game. You're probably too good for it.

No its history, it isn’t made up. And retro computers are still operational. Not as many sure but take them away and the lights go out.

And since when was RISC-V retro? Calling RISC-V fantasy might be accurate. I fail to see how everyone shifting to an open ISA benefits the people. Saves chip designers a dollar on licensing sure. But the RTL is still closed for most RISC-V that gets tape out. So you have no clue what it’s doing. “open”. Sure.

Have you heard of pixel art? It's a form of art that appreciates the retro aesthetic. I don't think it's your thing. Your brain is to big for such simple minded behavior.

First off the tech doesn't go that far back nobody is using a TRS anymore. And second it's more of a retro vibe not an attempt to recreate the exact tech. I get why someone like you can't understand this concept. It's mainly because you're too logical and intelligent. You're basically a savant with a mind similar to a super computer, you're too logical to fully understand stupid people like me.

Let me explain what's going on. This is just low IQ people like me having a sort of appreciation for retro vibes. High IQ people like you likely are too efficient and awesome to sink to this kind of base cave man behavior that has no logical point. Pay no head to us, we're beneath you.

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