Bootstrap post-collapse OOP technology (Part 1) | Hacker News Reader

Bootstrap post-collapse OOP technology (Part 1)

marianoguerra.org

I would have thought the major problem after a technological collapse would be the production of computer hardware, even up to the level of something like ENIAC, as the technology stack needed to create that represents centuries of technological development.

Software development, on the other hand, took merely decades, and would be much faster to reboot, as computer language and compiler technology can be easily reinvented given information in printed books. If anything, I'd suggest an emphasis on having paper copies of books on classic programming languages and computer history widely distributed in paper libraries, and making sure that paper libraries are not displaced entirely by electronic ones.

I'd consider archiving full documentation of pre-existing basic technology, rather than rolling your own; a widely distributed complete set of printed books, circuit diagrams, manuals, source code and assembly code listings capable of reproducing something like BCPL on PDP-11 might be a better choice; creating something like a PDP-11 class computer with valves or relays would be eminently feasible.

The main idea, with Collapse OS at least, is to be able to build software with salvaged computer parts. The focus is on easy to repair chipsets, that could be maintained with access to simple tools.

I hope that a decade or two down the line with cheap solar and batteries, we become less dependent on a grid for business as usual and for rebooting after local or widespread collapse.

Societies has bee surprising resilient to large scale disruption in the past...

If there's something I wouldn't mind losing in a post-collapse world, it has to be OOP :)

Post-collapse, will we even have power?

Solar power of course, the problem is: who will manufacture new chips for our salvaged computers?

A specialized civilization like ours has a small window to reboot before tech degrades and scavenging becomes harder. After that short window, securing food, shelter and defense would be the primary goals.

I still really like the idea of Collapse OS. I've loved computers all my life, and if bandits are going to raze my precarious settlement, I want to leave this mortal coil with a retro microprocessor in my arms.

author here, let me know if you have any questions :)

I have a rather tricky time reading the guest language syntax. Is there a good reason you didn't use "normal" dot+parens method call syntax? Can you do more with yours?

yes, everything is an infix operator :)

`1 + 2` sends the message `\ + 2` to `1`

`a foo ()` sends the message `\ foo () ` to `a` (the parenthesis are the nil value)

`1 + 2 - 3` sends the message `\ + 2` to `1` and then the message `- 3` to the result of the previous message send

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