EDIT: Apologies for the line breaks, I hope this helps, my provider didn't give a setting for wrapping that I
 could find.

I agree that the concept of the Forever Computer is not something that is capable of being widely adopted
 at this time. Even if the hardware and supports in terms of screen terminals existed, it, as envisioned in the
 original essay, is not a tool that meets people's needs. To some extent, that reality does lie at the feet of
 marketing, creating demand for a new concept. The scope is so much larger than that of course. In thinking
 of a new vision of computing and components, we should not dismiss "consumption" as a moral issue, or
 even an undesirable action. It **may not** fit into the vision of the Forever Computer as a device or
 paradigm that is being developed, and that to me suggests that we should also in some way envision a way
 to fulfill those use cases as well.

The place of current computing devices, and especially phones and advertising, is driven by the broader
 political economy of computation, bureaucracy, and finance. These behaviors of companies, tech
 enthusiasts, and end users are all driven by material forces, and represent at least semi-rational decisions in
 the context of the available options. And following from that point, it is not possible to change behavior on
 a mass scale without, in some way altering the decision space and the political economy. That sounds
 daunting, and it is. I don't say that to indicate that this project or concept isn't useful. I'm really inspired by
 it, and want to try things out in my life as well. I don't think there's a way to make it broadly desirable, or
 practical for common use in the current system, and yet it is a valuable and fun topic.

To my mind, there's a couple things I would like to achieve personally with this concept:
1. Pare down my own perceived computing needs
2. Become more familiar with 'lower level' computing and software
3. To work on the slow process of owning my data
4. Develop competency with tools that are less changeable so that my proficiency compounds over time
5. Building a level of resilience in all aspects of my life so external forces are less able to upset my existence
6. Security through simplicity

I see these as principles and goals that could be achievable on any computing platform, but turning it into a
 project helps me stay interested, and focused. The thing is, my life would not be liveable without some of
 the more consumptive devices, or the existence of social media. They are requirements for modern life right
 now, and especially my life as a tech worker for a non-profit, and a trans person. I'd like to see a society-
wide change in how we understand, use, and get value from computing, but as it always seems to, the root
 problem is that capitalism leads to our current state, and without the destruction of certain business models
 at least, there's not a broad change on the horizon.

Enough philosophy for this response, it's good to be back on a mailing list, and I hope this comes across in
 the friendly spirit I mean it too. I look forward to getting into technical and implementation discussion,
 because I have a keyboard idea at least. :P