When civilization crashes and servers go silent, you won’t be using Python. You’ll be begging your scavenged device to boot Forth on Collapse OS. Here's why that matters.
I didn’t expect the end of the world to lead me to an obscure 8-bit programming language. But here we are.
After stumbling upon the Doomsday Clock ticking ominously above Union Square, I spiraled—hard. What does survival really look like when the grid goes down? Not just food and fire, but technology—real, reusable tech?
That rabbit hole landed me face-to-terminal with Virgil Dupras, a Canadian programmer who’s not prepping with canned beans, but with code. Specifically, a DIY, apocalypse-proof OS called Collapse OS, and the forgotten programming language that powers it: Forth.
⚙️ What Happens When the Last Computer Dies?
Dupras believes civilization will collapse in two waves:
Global supply chains break. Our phones rely on chips from Taiwan, assembly from China, memory from South Korea. Once shipping dies, tech dies.
Modern computers fail. With no spare parts and overly complex systems, even your favorite laptop will be a paperweight.
But Dupras isn’t giving up. He’s coding for the future—one where we bootstrap society back to life with scavenged components and 8-bit microcontrollers. The goal? Reboot humanity with the least hardware possible.
đź’» Enter Collapse OS + Forth
Collapse OS is designed to boot on minimal hardware—think discarded calculators, old phones, or obscure CPUs. But it needs a language that’s equally light, precise, and efficient.
That’s where Forth shines.
Invented in the 1960s by Chuck Moore, Forth was born out of hardware scarcity. It speaks directly to the machine, letting you define your own commands (“Words”) on the fly, compile less, and control memory like a wizard. It’s not just a language—it’s a mindset.
Dupras calls Forth’s efficiency “power density.” When energy and resources are limited, you need code that wastes nothing.
🔌 From Collapse to Dusk: The Evolution
In 2022, Dupras launched Dusk OS, a modern extension of Collapse OS that can run on newer hardware while maintaining compatibility with existing C code.
With Dusk OS:
- You can access legacy files and formats.
- Reprogram microcontrollers.
- Boot on old tablets or phones.
- Become a post-apocalyptic philosopher-king with the knowledge to control the machines.
But there’s a catch: if you don’t download Dusk OS now, good luck finding it without the internet later.
🤯 Learning Forth Is Like Speaking Machine
Forth isn’t like Python. It’s postfix, stack-based, and unapologetically raw.
You don’t tell the system what to do. You become the system.
You:
- Allocate memory manually.
- Define your own conditionals.
- Speak in code poems of pure intent.
It’s powerful. It’s frustrating. And once you get it, it’s exhilarating.
“In Forth, you’re creating your own language.” – Leo Brodie, Starting Forth
🔋 The True Cost of Modern Code
We live in a world of abstractions. Our modern tools are powerful but bloated. Most of us don’t think about:
- Where our memory is stored.
- How much energy each gigabyte consumes.
- What we’d do if all that vanished.
The more we abstract, the more we forget how machines actually work. That’s fine—until it isn’t.
🌱 Coding as a Survival Skill
A growing movement called Permacomputing is exploring tech resilience in a resource-constrained world. Think solar-powered laptops, low-energy software, and sustainable computing practices.
For people like Devine and Rek, who live full-time on a boat with just 190 watts of solar power, Forth isn’t just survival—it’s liberation. Their minimalistic computing mirrors minimalistic living.
What if we all coded that way? What if we didn’t wait for collapse to rethink how we code?
🚨 TL;DR
- Forth is a low-level, memory-efficient language ideal for post-collapse scenarios.
- Collapse OS and Dusk OS are survivalist operating systems designed to run on scavenged tech.
- Learning Forth might one day make you invaluable—or even save lives.
- Sustainable computing isn’t just a hobby. It might be our future.
📦 Resources to Go Forth
"The best time to learn Forth was yesterday. The second best time is before the internet dies."
Let’s talk: Have you ever tried Forth? Could you survive the techpocalypse? Would you trade your framework for a scythe?
👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments!
#Forth #CollapseOS #ApocalypseCoding #LowLevelProgramming #Permacomputing #TechSustainability #RetroComputing #DuskOS #SurvivalTech
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