The Last Psion | Alex<p>Moved instance, so time for a new <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/introduction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>introduction</span></a>!</p><p>I'm Alex and I have a PDA problem.</p><p>In 2018, after 16 years of using various <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/Psion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Psion</span></a> portables, I decided to try my hand at developing hardware and software for my beloved Series 3c to help me with journalling and creative writing.</p><p>6 years and repeated sidequests later, I've ended up doing a <em>lot</em> of research into the SIBO/EPOC16 platform, and done my best to document it when I can. I've also nudged former developers into open sourcing their old Psion apps.</p><p>My current main projects are:</p><ul><li><a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/PsiDrive" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>PsiDrive</span></a>, an <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/RP2040" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>RP2040</span></a>-based USB drive for SIBO SSDs.</li><li>Rewriting the Psion SIBO (16-bit 8086) C SDK, including updating the docs (with <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/AsciiDoc" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>AsciiDoc</span></a>) and rewriting the original DOS tools as FOSS apps. I'm currently using <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/FreePascal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FreePascal</span></a> to create a drop-in replacement for <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/CTRAN" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>CTRAN</span></a>, the Psion OO C preprocessor. (I want to eventually write a new compiler targeting EPOC16. Eventually.)</li><li>Anything else that tickles my bouncy brain.</li></ul><p>Outside of <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/retrocomputing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>retrocomputing</span></a>, I'm your common-or-garden British nerd. I'm a Linux user - mostly Arch, but I dabble with others. I also like a bit of <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/HaikuOS" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>HaikuOS</span></a> and I'm planning on giving <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/FreeBSD" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>FreeBSD</span></a> a go very soon.</p><p>I used to be a senior computer monkey, specialising in on-prem SME infrastructure (I lament the loss of vSphere). Now I train others to become computer monkeys (for better or worse). As a result, sometimes you'll see me wrestling with old Cisco ASAs, Ubiquiti APs, or modded kit running <a href="https://oldbytes.space/tags/OpenWrt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>OpenWrt</span></a>.</p><p>Generally, I like making things do stuff, especially if it's stuff that the thing wasn't originally designed to do.</p>