Less Retarded Software

This is LRS, software that is less retarded. LRS is closely related to suckless, minimal, KISS and Unix philosophy SW. Some of the features and philosophies of LRS include:

Minimizing dependencies (in a wide sense, software, hardware, education, ...) and all other bullshit as much as possible:
- Not using libraries if not needed, not even the standard library.
- Not using floating point unless absolutely necessary (friendly to embedded). This is achieved by using integer fixed point arithmetic instead.
- Not using files unless completely necessary. Configuration and assets are part of the source code and compiled into the program.
- Not using build systems, not even Makefiles. The SW should be compilable with a single compiler invocation.
- Not using GPUs, special hardware or instructions like MMX.
- Not using bullshit languages like C++ and bullshit abstractions like OOP.
- Not being linked to or limited by any IDE, VCS, documentation systems etc.
- Not practicing COCs and similar fascist inventions.
Focusing on simplicity and accessibility, in a wide sense (simple to use, understand, modify, compile, fork, share, port etc.).
- Writing libraries in a single header file.
- Using single compilation unit, no linking. This is no problem with small, efficient SW, as compilation is extremely fast.
- Using simple formats (like plain ASCII instead of UTF8), algorithms, design principles and approximations, unless this is for some reason not possible.
- Preferring compile-time options and static allocation to dynamic behavior.
- Commenting, formatting and (self) documenting the source so that it can be understood without e.g. requiring Internet connection to browse an online documentation.
- Each project should consist of at most 10 KLOC of newly written code.
Using good languages, mostly C99, because that offers portability, efficiency, control, compatibility and is very safe from dying as a C compiler is and always will be probably the most important piece of software. However, other nice languages like LISP are justifiable.
Trying to be extremely portable, efficient and not wasting resources.
- Trying to run on 16/32bit computers with CPUs running on tens of MHz and having only KBs of RAM and storage.
- Writing extremely thin (easily replaceable) frontends that only serve the absolutely necessary abstraction of platform details, but not going any further.
Focusing on real and absolute freedom, not just on paper (license), but in practice, thanks to being accessible and friendly to modding and sharing. Each project is ideally written by a single person and released completely and clearly to the public using CC0 plus a waiver of any other rights.
Focusing on long-term, trying to be future-proof and safe from dying. The SW takes into account that technology in a 100 years will be different, dependencies will be lost and computers may even be much less powerful due to society collapse.
Being hackable, friendly to and encouraging modifications, improvement, creativity and sharing, like really.
Trying to focus on the essence and resist any feature creep.
Being anarchist, non-commercial, anti-consumer, anti-capitalist, anti-censorship, trying to be useful to every living being in the universe, focusing on elegance, beauty, slowness, math and love, rejecting forced capitalist bullshit like GUI, photorealistic graphics, HD video etc.

project	abbreviation	status	summary
raycastlib	RCL	usable	2D advanced raycasting library for rendering "pseudo 3D" environments, e.g. for games.
small3dlib	S3L	usable	3D software rasterizer, similar to OpenGL but much more simple and portable.
Anarch	SFG	finished	Extremely small and portable game in Doom style.
smallchesslib	SCL	started	Chess library and engine, including a complete extremely portable game.
		planned	Raycasting library with both low-level functions, allowing implementation of any rendering method based on tracing rays, like raycasting, raytracing, distributed raytracing or path tracing, and high level functions for complete scene rendering.
		planned	3D physics simulation library allowing performing real-time rigid and soft physics simulations, with less focus on accuracy and more on performance, simplicity and portability, also usable as a 2D physics library.
		planned	BSP renderer, for rendering Doom-like games and environments.
		planned	Library for processing 2D raster images, with many graphics algorithms, format parsers. Would include procedural generation functions.
		planned	Machine learning library (neural nets, evolutional programming, ...).
		idea	General utility library (sorts, searches, strings, UTF, formats, ...).
		idea	A "platform independent operating system", something that can run compiled-in programs and interact with the platform's HW, be it a small 8bit console or a desktop PC.

Page by drummyfish. This page and all its content is released under CC0 1.0 (public domain).