In an era where technology often feels overwhelming and ever-changing, Timeless Computing offers a refreshing perspective on what computing can—and should—be. This open-source book introduces readers to the fundamentals of computing, with a special focus on timeless applications that endure beyond trends. Whether you're a novice exploring the world of computers for the first time or an experienced developer looking to dive deeper into FPGA-based systems, this guide will walk you through the principles of Machdyne's innovative FPGA computers and the Zeitlos SOC/OS. Packed with practical insights and step-by-step explanations, Timeless Computing empowers readers to understand, use, and even extend these systems for a wide range of applications—ranging from education and writing to automation and beyond. Whether you're seeking simplicity, security, or a connection to the roots of computing, this book is your gateway to a more mindful and enduring approach to technology.
The book is available as PDF, HTML, Markdown and plain text files in the dist directory, but you can also build it from source:
$ make
You will need texlive-full, pandoc and latexmk.
To the extent possible under law, the contributors to this project have waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this work (the "Timeless Computing" book) under the CC0 1.0 Universal license.
The book is written in Markdown located in the chapters directory.
By submitting a contribution to this repository, you agree to dedicate your contribution to the public domain under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) 1.0 Universal license.
This means your contributions will be free to use without any restrictions.
Please do not contribute copyrighted material.
For more details, see: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/