Freewheeling Apps

Freewheeling Apps are a durable substrate for the future of software.

Easy to download. Easy to run. Easy to modify. Easy to share.

• Free and open source. I'm not trying to make money from them, only meaning. I'm beholden to nobody. No dark patterns, ever. I'll never sell them to someone else; there's nothing to sell.
• Built atop a small, secure and trustworthy platform I don't control. The download is 5MB. No install process on most OSs.
• All apps contain their source code; you can always look inside the app you're running. You can always modify it using the same software you use to run it. Running your modifications takes a press of a button. Freewheeling apps reward curiosity.
• Each app quickly stabilizes, and then seldom updates. Because timeless software is safer and more trustworthy (it can't change its mind). Definitely no auto-updates. I think I might be able to get to 50 years without an update. Join me on that voyage!
• Individual apps stay simple; apps spawn forks and remixes rather than grow complex.

=> More details in this talk & transcript.

To start using your computer more freely and safely, try out one of these apps (the others can wait):

=> A plain-text editor you can draw line-drawings in.

You can also export the line-drawings to SVG or html.

=> (code for it)

=> A small environment for writing small, throwaway programs on phone or computer.

=> (code for it)

Run 20 (and growing) little useful/fun scripts (fractals, cellular automata, voice recorders, equation plotters, games) without needing to install any more software. If what you want isn't on the list—ask!

=> Finally, a simple tool for drawing box-and-line diagrams.

=> (code for it)

Coming soon: networking. Freewheeling Apps will become much more useful when you can use them to get your data out of other silos service providers.

=> More updates in this devlog