Hacker News with Generative AI: Personal Computing

Thanks to Nvidia, there's a new generation of PCs coming and they'll run Linux (zdnet.com)
I know, I know: "Year of the Linux desktop ... yadda, yadda." You've heard it all before. But now there's a Linux-powered PC that many people will want: Nvidia's Project Digits, a desktop with AI supercomputer power that runs DGX OS, a customized Ubuntu Linux 22.04 distro.

Nvidia, Linux, Personal Computing, AI

69 points by CrankyBear 5 days ago | 40 comments

I will never need to buy a new computer again (82mhz.net)
If you’re in your early thirties or older, you remember the breakneck pace at which computers were improving in the 90s and 2000s.

Technology, Personal Computing, Nostalgia, Moore's Law

145 points by ecliptik 6 days ago | 181 comments

Switched Back to Windows After over 10 Years on Linux (reddit.com)
After more than a decade using Linux, primarily Fedora, I’ve realized that in my current phase of life, everything needs to work seamlessly. The constant need to tweak and fix things when something breaks has become too frustrating, so I’ve switched back to Windows.

Operating Systems, Linux, Windows, Personal Computing

35 points by thunderbong 25 days ago | 97 comments

Evolving my ergonomic setup (or, my laptop with extra steps) (ntietz.com)
My computer setup attracts attention when I'm out and about. This has two effects: engineers1 ask me about it, and everyone else ignores me. These effects are not undesirable, but further testing is required.

Ergonomics, Hardware, Personal Computing, Software

181 points by Liriel 38 days ago | 116 comments

I can now run a GPT-4 class model on my laptop (simonwillison.net)
Meta’s new Llama 3.3 70B is a genuinely GPT-4 class Large Language Model that runs on my laptop.

Generative AI, Personal Computing

96 points by simonw 40 days ago | 34 comments

Microsoft built a PC that can't run local apps (techcrunch.com)
Prefer to offload all your Windows tasks to the cloud? Microsoft may just have the compact, desk-bound computer for you.

Cloud Computing, Microsoft, Personal Computing, Hardware

8 points by skadamat 60 days ago | 3 comments

Now lie in it: an uxntal retrospective (xxiivv.com)
Autumn is just around the corner, and when the leaves begin to fall, it will have been four years since the early sketches of a personal computing system which became Uxn. I thought it would be interesting to look back and see what has happened since.

Retrospective, Programming, Personal Computing

59 points by surprisetalk 77 days ago | 15 comments

Virtual archaeology: Recreating the first PC I ever used (2022) (fabulous.systems)
There are some things in life you will remember forever. In case you are just like me, then the very first PC you ever used is most likely one of these things.

Virtual Reality, Technology, Nostalgia, Personal Computing

22 points by felsqualle 78 days ago | 4 comments

Ed Roberts created the personal computer industry (2023) (every.to)
In September 1974, Ed Roberts was sitting at the bank in a foreclosure meeting. His once-profitable calculator company, Micro Instrument and Telemetry Systems (MITS), had exhausted its $250,000 overdraft and was on the verge of bankruptcy. But Roberts wasn’t getting ready to shut down. Instead, he was soliciting a $65,000 loan. Not to spend on calculators, he explained to the bank, but for something completely different. Something nobody had done before. He planned to build an affordable personal computer.

History, Personal Computing, Entrepreneurship, Technology, Business

76 points by rbanffy 80 days ago | 45 comments

A Bicycle for the Mind – Prologue (technicshistory.com)
“When man created the bicycle, he created a tool that amplified an inherent ability. That’s why I like to compare the personal computer to a bicycle. …it’s a tool that can amplify a certain part of our inherent intelligence. There’s a special relationship that develops between one person and one computer that ultimately improves productivity on a personal level.”

Technology, Personal Computing, Analogies, Productivity

14 points by dotcoma 82 days ago | 2 comments

20 years of Linux on the Desktop (part 1) (ploum.net)
Twenty years ago, I had an epiphany: Linux was ready for the desktop.

Linux, Operating Systems, Personal Computing, History

6 points by mmphosis 86 days ago | 0 comments

20 years of Linux on the Desktop (part 1) (ploum.net)
Twenty years ago, I had an epiphany: Linux was ready for the desktop.

Linux, Operating Systems, History, Personal Computing

13 points by thunderbong 88 days ago | 1 comments

Refurb weekend: the Symbolics MacIvory Lisp machine I have hated (blogspot.com)
Every collector has that machine, the machine they sunk so much time and, often, money into that they would have defenestrated it years ago except for all the aforementioned time and money.

Retrocomputing, Computers, Personal Computing, History

29 points by zdw 96 days ago | 2 comments

Refurb weekend: the Symbolics MacIvory Lisp machine I have hated (blogspot.com)
Every collector has that machine, the machine they sunk so much time and, often, money into that they would have defenestrated it years ago except for all the aforementioned time and money.

Retrocomputing, Personal Computing, History, Computer Hardware, Lisp

182 points by rcarmo 97 days ago | 99 comments

Uxn (100r.co)
The Uxn/Varvara ecosystem is a personal computing stack based on a small virtual machine that lies at the heart of our software, and that allows us to run the same application on a variety of systems.

Virtual Machines, Operating Systems, Personal Computing

450 points by tosh 102 days ago | 98 comments

What OS should I drive? (codefaster.substack.com)
You’ll spend more hours with your OS on your daily driver than your spouse. Think about it. Will you spend 8+ hours a day, 5+ days a week, for 30+ years with your spouse? If you will spend that much time with your daily driver’s OS, can you really afford to use a suboptimal OS? Can you waste your life away like that? Isn’t it worth investing some time in the best OS?

Operating Systems, Productivity, Personal Computing

9 points by code-faster 108 days ago | 21 comments

My MEGA65 is finally here (lyonsden.net)
Finally, after waiting patiently for over two years for my pre-order, my MEGA65 arrived a today! I bought and paid for this way back in May of 2022 but production was delayed first by Covid and then by the resulting chip shortage that followed. The tedium of waiting has all been washed away now that I actually have it in my hands though, so in this post I will share my initial experiences with it.

Retro Computing, Hardware, Personal Computing, Reviews

220 points by harel 113 days ago | 82 comments

What Hath Woz Wrought (1979) (folklore.org)
In the summer of 1979, I abandoned grad school to start working at Apple Computer as a systems programmer. I was already thoroughly obsessed with their main product, the Apple II, so it was a dream come true to become an Apple employee and meet the amazing people behind the company.

Apple, History, Personal Computing, Software Engineering, Technology

35 points by tie-in 123 days ago | 4 comments

18 Months with a Framework 13 (projectgus.com)
I've been using a Framework 13 laptop as my main/only computer for a little over 18 months now.

Technology, Reviews, Laptops, Personal Computing, Software

132 points by todsacerdoti 124 days ago | 91 comments

MNT Pocket Reform – Unboxing and First Impressions (ratfactor.com)
I really didn’t need another laptop. But the MNT Pocket Reform is basically my personal wishlist extruded into reality.

Laptop Reviews, Personal Computing, Technology

39 points by jandeboevrie 133 days ago | 4 comments

Cosy Computing (datagubbe.se)

Computing, Software, Personal Computing, Lifestyle

74 points by zdw 138 days ago | 24 comments

Olivetti Programma 101: At the Origins of the Personal Computer (inexhibit.com)

History, Personal Computing, Computer Hardware

140 points by rbanffy 145 days ago | 42 comments

Harder Drive: Hard drives we didn't want or need (2022) [pdf] (tom7.org)

Hardware, Technology, History, Personal Computing

98 points by a022311 166 days ago | 25 comments

How I Computer in 2024 (jnsgr.uk)