Perma­computing Vienna

We meet and discuss sustainable computing that respects planetary and human limits. Come if you are interested in green computing, reviving old hardware, or anything else that fits under the permacomputing umbrella

Upcoming Events

12.7.2026 – Time and location TDB

Past Events

14.4.2026 – 19:00 at Stadtraum Mitte 15

Björn Ganslandt - Fighting hardware obsolescence with greener frontend code

As we strive for a more sustainable web, a lot of focus is on energy usage. This makes perfect sense in data centers, where servers run non-stop, but if we shift our focus to the end-user, embodied carbon emitted during manufacture of devices starts to make up a much larger percentage of total emissions. To address this we need to develop web-sites to work well on older devices. This is especially pressing on mobile devices, where older hardware can be very limited in processing power, memory and battery capacity.

Together we’ll look at techniques to test websites on old hardware and frontend development patterns that allow adopting shiny new technology without leaving users of older hardware behind. This reduces the pressure on users to buy new devices, and simultaneously makes our web-sites accessible to a larger user-base.

13.1.2026 at GT_

Maël Madon presented their Reflections on sufficiency for data centers: I am a researcher in Computer Science, with an interest in environmental impacts of computing. In this talk, I want to share with you some insights from my PhD work, in which we tried to go beyond efficiency measures for data centers, and rather think about sufficiency. I will explain how we approached the problem, give some results and also personal thoughts on the question.

14.10.2025 at GT_

Crisis counseling for Windows 10 users: Bring your questions (and if you want, computer) if you are affected by Microsoft's declared end of the support of Windows 10. Together we can talk about our options in this situation (Do I need a new computer? Are there alternative ways out? etc.) and you can also try out free alternatives to Windows, if you like!

Afterwards we'll watch a recording of the talk Permacomputing 101 by Devine from Hundred Rabbits, recently presented at Critical Signals 2025, and have a bit of talk and discussion around it.

15.7.2025 at Auer Welsbach Park

Picnic in the park, a discussion about batteries and an old casio keyboard (battery-powered).

15.4.2025 at GT_

This time around we will evaluate the digitalization strategy of the freshly appointed new austrian government (NEOSPÖVP), of course with a focus on matters of sustainability! To do so we will (among others) take a look at page 179ff in this pdf with the fateful title Microsoft Word — Regierungsprogramm.docx. Nomen est omen? We'll see.

15.1.2025 at GT_

An inaugural, experimental gathering for all - including complete newcomers - who are interested in Permacomputing