The first RISC-V portable computer is now available
This seems like an inspiring step in the direction of a device that I want, but which as far as I can tell, doesn&#x27;t exist, but I have one burning question:<p><i>How small is it?</i><p>I&#x27;ve been trying to figure out what I need for comfortable portable writing.  I have an Aspire One that&#x27;s pretty much at the lower limit for key spacing for my hands, with 17 mm × 16 mm keys.  I&#x27;m typing this on a cheap USB external keyboard with keys closer to 18.5 mm wide, and I think slightly tighter spacing would be more comfortable.  I might be able to make do with 15 mm or even 14 mm horizontal key spacing, but my fingers would collide.  Someone with smaller hands could manage a slightly smaller keyboard, but not that much smaller.  Touchtyping becomes impossible and you&#x27;re reduced to typing with two fingers like a five-year-old.<p>Unfortunately none of <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;artvsentropy.wordpress.com&#x2F;2022&#x2F;01&#x2F;15&#x2F;writing-on-the-devterm&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;artvsentropy.wordpress.com&#x2F;2022&#x2F;01&#x2F;15&#x2F;writing-on-the...</a> <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;lunduke.substack.com&#x2F;p&#x2F;the-first-risc-v-portable-computer" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;lunduke.substack.com&#x2F;p&#x2F;the-first-risc-v-portable-com...</a> <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.clockworkpi.com&#x2F;product-page&#x2F;devterm-kit-r01" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.clockworkpi.com&#x2F;product-page&#x2F;devterm-kit-r01</a> bothers to give any dimensions at all, even when they spend a lot of time talking about how small it is.<p>From my point of view, this is more important than the information they <i>did</i> give, and it seems like it was pretty important to them too, so I don&#x27;t understand why they omitted this information.<p>What I want is:<p>1. A computer powerful enough to recompile all its own software,<p>2. which can run a reasonably convenient programming environment (my bar is pretty low here: at least as good as Emacs with GCC on a VAX with a VT100, or MPW on a Macintosh SE),<p>3. which fits in my pocket,<p>4. which doesn&#x27;t need batteries or plugging in,<p>5. which I can recover if I corrupt its filesystem, and<p>6. which is usable in direct sunlight.<p>This laptop fulfills points #1, #2, and #5.  My cellphone fulfills points #2, #3, and #6.  My solar calculator fulfills points #3, #4, #5 (trivially), and #6.  It looks like this &quot;DevTerm&quot; fulfills points #1, #2, and #5, same as my current laptop but maybe slightly more portable.  But I don&#x27;t think any computing device exists, or ever has existed, that hits all of these points.  But I think it&#x27;s attainable now.<p>I think the conjunction of points #2 and #3 probably requires the thing to unfold or deploy somehow, unless some kind of Twiddler-like device would allow me to do it one-handed.  There just isn&#x27;t room for both of my hands at once on the surface of things that fit in my pocket (about 100 mm × 120 mm).  Conceivably a laser projection keyboard could work.