canadaduane

I started a local vibecoders group because I think it has the potential to help my community.

(What is vibecoding? It's a new word, coined last month. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibe_coding)

Why might it be part of a solarpunk future? I often see and am inspired by solarpunk art that depicts relationships and family happiness set inside a beautiful blend of natural and technological wonder. A mom working on her hydroponic garden as the kids play. Friends chatting as they look at a green cityscape.

All of these visions have what I would call a 3-way harmony--harmony between humankind and itself, between humankind and nature, and between nature and technology.

But how is this harmony achieved? Do the "non-techies" live inside a hellscape of technology that other people have created? No! At least, I sure don't believe in that vision. We need to be in control of our technology, able to craft it, change it, adjust it to our circumstances. Like gardening, but with technology.

I think vibecoding is a whisper of a beginning in this direction.

Right now, the capital requirements to build software are extremely high--imagine what Meta paid to have Instagram developed, for instance. It's probably in the tens of millions or hundreds of millions of dollars. It's likely that only corporations can afford to build this type of software--local communities are priced out.

But imagine if everyone could (vibe)code, at least to some degree. What if you could build just the habit-tracking app you need, in under an hour? What if you didn't need to be an Open Source software wizard to mold an existing app into the app you actually want?

Having AI help us build software drops the capital requirements of software development from millions of dollars to thousands, maybe even hundreds. It's possible (for me, at least) to imagine a future of participative software development--where the digital rules of our lives are our own, fashioned individually and collectively. Not necessarily by tech wizards and esoteric capitalists, but by all of us.

Vibecoding isn't quite there yet--we aren't quite to the Star Trek computer just yet. I don't want to oversell it and promise the moon. But I think we're at the beginning of a shift, and I look forward to exploring it.

P.S. If you want to try vibecoding out, I recommend v0 among all the tools I've played with. It has the most accurate results with the least pain and frustration for now. Hopefully we'll see lots of alternatives and especially open source options crop up soon.

I saw this on the reddit community and just had to post! If there's a giant "this computer is mine" reason to get a Framework computer, this might be proof of it!

Cory Doctorow is a champion of right-to-repair, digital freedom, and consumer rights. You may have heard of a term he coined a couple of years ago--"enshittification" to describe the pattern where SaaS companies degrade the quality of their service once you're locked in.

Anyway, he was on this Greymatter podcast recently--It's cool to hear that he has a Framework 13" laptop and has repaired it and upgraded it multiple times!

https://www.greymatter.show/episodes/s1e109-cory-doctorow-the-intersection-of-storytelling-and-technology

Hey so it looks like the original creators and mods of this community deleted their accounts, which explains the mystery of their not having said anything for some time :)

The admin of lemmy.ca has made me moderator for now. I hope in the future we'll see others step in to the role as well, as they are willing and able.

I've updated the logo to a higher res (official) image, and added a short community sidebar explainer as follows:

An unofficial community of enthusiasts and fans of the Framework hardware company, known for its modular laptops and other products.

Does that represent us? Any thoughts or additions to consider?

I've been surprised at how hands-on disassembly makes my daughter understand computers better. The fact that she can pull out the memory or SDD, or point to the giant battery, or ask what's under the fan seems to have made her much more curious and interested in learning about computers.

Has anyone else had a teaching moment through being able to open up their laptop easily?

I'm curious if the swappable ports, upgradable and repairable hardware, or some other aspect of the laptop design unlocked something specific for you?

For example: I was surprised to find out that gaming was easier with my mouse when I had the option to move the old USB-A port to the left-hand side, so the mouse cord loops around the back of the laptop and doesn't get in the way. I know, I could get a cordless mouse, but I guess I like classic hardware :D

Another example: There was a bug in the Linux kernel a year or two ago where high DPI screens would go dark intermittently when you had only 1 memory stick (SO-DIMM) in single-channel mode. I think they eventually fixed it, but to speed things up and get a working system for myself right away, I was able to order a 2nd SO-DIMM module and upgrade to 64GB of RAM in dual-channel mode. Gratefully, the problem was solved.

If you have a Framework, have you had similar or perhaps weirder unlocks?

I'm curious what you think our niche is here. There're obviously some much larger communities that focus on Framework hardware. But who are we, and why are we here?

For me, I'm trying to break my Reddit addiction and want to contribute my knowledge to the commons, rather than one corporation's pocketbook.

When I first bought my Framework, I started https://linuxtouchpad.org/ to organize and learn about how to improve Linux support for its touchpad. I feel like I helped a little bit, but not as much as I would have liked.

Intros? Why are you here?

I've been waiting for a few months for the marketplace to get an International English Linux keyboard in stock, as well as the 61Wh battery (both for 13") to upgrade.

Does anyone know what their intent is there? Do you just wait for a bunch of people to batch up with the "Notify Me" list, or do they intend to just keep a few of everything in stock and it's been a bad luck streak for me?

If you're running Windows, what version and why? If Linux, what distro?