The new RISC-V DevTerm is a minicomputer that would be great for programming on the move. Does this machine have an open-source, RISC-V CPU in a regular computer? Yes, it does. This is a machine using the RISC instruction set and not Intel x86. This looks very retro and awesome at the same time. The specs are:
- R-01 Core module (RISC-V 64bit Single-core RV64IMAFDCVU @ 1.0GHz, No GPU, 1GB DDR3)
- 32GB high-speed TF-card with clockworkOS
- 6.86-inch IPS screen module
- Clockwork 65% keyboard
- ClockworkPi v3.14 mainboard
This also includes a tiny 58mm thermal printer to print out code. This is awesome. All for 239 dollars. This is modelled after the legendary TRS-80 Model 100 “slab” style computer and looks like a great little machine to work on code on the move. They have not mentioned networking, I assume the expansion module would have either WiFi or an ethernet port to allow connection to a network. Would also be a nice little portable SSH terminal to administer UNIX or Linux servers. This is amazing. What a fun little gadget. There is a kit available here to construct one of the devices for yourself. I think this fits the same niche as the TRS-80 Model 100 did, this was a tiny pocket PC that allowed users to work on projects on the move. But the new DevTerm can use a web browser and a GUI interface to work on multiple windows at the same time. The TRS-80 Model 100 cost $499 when it was new. This was quite a bit of money at the time. But I think the cost of the DevTerm is quite fair, considering what you could do with it.