____ FRST Computer: Q & A ____________________________________________
Q. What is FRST Computer? What does "small batch, artisan" mean?
A. It means FRST computers are made in very small batches by hand,
resulting in unique computers that are themselves works of art.
Q. Why so small?
A. The initial inspiration came from the popular notion of a
"CyberDeck" device form factor -- where small size and portability
are common qualities. Inspiration was also taken from the PDA era
of the late 90s / early 2000s... (Our computers wouldn't be too out
of place next to an eMate) The 4.2" ePaper display represents the
minimum "practical" screen for hosting the PCD-68 400x300 display
resolution. A larger display version is under consideration, and a
magnification peripheral ala Terry Gilliam is planned. :)
Q. Is it open source?
A. I plan to make both the source code and schematics openly
available. (Early demo PCD-68 code available on GitHub now)
I may also make CAD assets available, where that makes sense.
Q. How much does a FRST computer cost?
A. This will depend on a number of factors, of course, but batch size
is the most significant. The intention is that as each successive
batch grows in size, it affords more people the chance to get their
own FRST. The early batches will be more expensive, owing to their
unique artisan quality.
It may be worth noting that a FRST computer is expected to grow in
value (or utility, at least)
as the user base grows -- as users share their
software and provide increasing potential connection points for
other users. In order to achieve this ultimate value, it is hoped
that early backers encourage growth by spreading the word...
Q. So, is FRST Computer an art project or a computer company?
A. Why can't it be both? As it stands today, FRST Computer is mainly
an art project by Jon Sharp [1], exploring the intersection of
computer science, personal computing history, nostalgia,
sustainability, self-deploying networking, local/social computing...
It imagines the paths not taken, re-visiting
engineering solutions of the past that remain relevant to our
present and future.
It is through this creative exploration that we (I) hope to arrive
at a personal computer design that has broad (enough) appeal to
ship small numbers of computers on a regular basis, supporting an
active and growing community of (admittedly/expectedly unique)
users.
Given those goals, we like to say we are an "aspirational"
computer company. As the batches grow in size, the artistic
value of each batch may diminish naturally, giving way to
affordability and increasing utility as the FRST community grows.
And if such a future should ever materialize, FRST Computer might
no longer be "merely" an art projct -- though our computers will
always strive to be art. :)
Q. Isn't this just some kind of 80's/90's nostalgia trip?
A. It's not just _some_ kind of 80's/90's nostalgia trip, it's the
_best_ kind! ;) In seriousness, yes, nostalgia is a big part of
this, and we're counting on that nostalgia to inspire enough people
to help us grow the FRST user base.
Q. Why not Kickstarter? Etsy? Tindie?
A. These are great platforms, and they host many worthy, similar art
and technology projects, (we're big fans / customers) but launching
FRST "in Gopherspace" affords several things -- First, we believe
we'll find our most receptive audience here. Second, it allows us
to be truly independent and explore things like Gopher-commerce, a
viable (to be determined ;)) alternative to the modern payment
systems.
Also, the "art" of this _may_ extend to other ways of exciting that
sense of nostalgia -- things like printable order forms, receipts
printed on vintage tractor-fed paper stock and a real phone system
with staffed hours where you can reach a real person for customer
service or sales.
Q. Ok, I want one. How do I order?
A. Really?! I mean... That's Great! Yeah, just send us an email.
( info or sales or whatever @ frstcomputer.com )
( Eventually I'd like to build out some
kind of Gopher-commerce approach. Stay tuned for more... )
(( any gopher-heads have any great ideas for the most frictionless
out-of-band payment mechanism(s) for gopher-initiated orders?
see: [2] ))
Q. This is really cool. I'd love to help out... How about stickers?
T-shirts?
A. Absolutely! Support us by picking up a sticker or two! Details:
(DIR) FRST Gopher Store: Stickers!
==== Model Three Questions ====
Q. What's with all the Plan 9 stuff?
A. Plan 9 is great! It is the near-perfect vehicle for the
realization of what we at FRST believe personal computing needs
right now. Not only was it birthed in the same era from which we
draw our primary inspiration, it continues to be actively
maintained with an existing community of (artistic?) enthusiasts.
Quite simply, it's just the perfect fit for our computers.
Q. Are you abandoning ESP32? PCD-68? E-paper?
A. Well, no. Probably not, anyway... While Model Three certainly
eschews each of these, it was in order to offer a more powerful
platform that could itself be used to continue exploring each of
these things (mcu-based design, emulated cpu arch, non-traditional
low-power displays) -- now through the Plan 9 lens.
Development of the next ESP32-S3-based board design, along with
the PCD-68 emulator have been paused, but unless priorties change,
we intend to return to these things -- porting the PCD-68 emulator
to Plan 9, exploring the 68000 (will we need to implement a 68020?)
Plan 9 (Inferno?) kernel for possible terminal kernel
implementation for Model One/Two, and possibly building a Pi-based
E-paper CyberDeck.
This is admittedly all very ambitious, of course, so if you have
an interest in seeing any of these things materialize, let us know.
We would also welcome any material contributions... code? cash? ;)
Q. What was this about FRST:Net?
A. Model Three was really developed as a purpose-built portable
CyberDeck to prioritize and accelerate the development and testing
of FRST:Net, which will begin as a public packet radio network in
the Nashville, TN area.
---
(DIR) [1] Jon Sharp's gopher hole
(TXT) [2] Gopher-commerce proposal?