Coined: 2020 by Ville-Matias “Viznut” Heikkilä
Reference: permacomputing.net, Viznut's original text, Devine Lu Linvega's write-up
Permaculture applied to computing. Permaculture finds clever ways to let nature do the work with minimal artificial energy. Permacomputing asks: how do we make the most of existing computational resources rather than constantly demanding more?
The first question permacomputing asks: “Where is technology not appropriate? Where can it be removed?” Technology gets sold as a timesaver but often adds complexity and creates dependency on supply chains.
Founded on permaculture's ethics: Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share.
Full list: permacomputing.net/principles
Frugal computing means familiarizing yourself with using as little as needed while resources are still available — similar to learning to use a first aid kit while still in the city. You practice when correcting mistakes is still feasible.
Hundred Rabbits — Devine Lu Linvega and Rekka Bellum, living and working from a sailboat. In 2017, trying to download a 10GB Xcode update using only 5GB SIM cards, they had to put an iPhone in a bag and hoist it up the mast. That absurdity led to Uxn, a tiny virtual machine that runs on everything from Game Boy Advance to Raspberry Pi Pico.
Digital homesteading asks: what can I run myself, on hardware I control, that will work when third-party services don't?
“If you want to bake an apple pie, you must first invent the universe.” — Carl Sagan
No setup is fully independent — domain registrars, payment processors, supply chains all remain. But meaningful steps toward self-sufficiency are still worth taking.