Radiant's purpose is to explore what the personal computer could be when designed from first principles.
We believe the current trajectory of personal computing is leading us to a less free world, and that only a new computing movement rooted in human dignity and individual freedom can change this course.
Thesis
Computers today are designed around engagement and surveillance business models rather than what users want. App stores are filled with adware, platforms prioritize data collection over user agency and social media algorithms optimize for addiction. Big Tech fundamentally reshaped computing from a tool for human empowerment into a massive data collection system.
This path, despite orders of magnitude in increased hardware efficiency, has lead us to a world in which the majority of software is slow, bloated and bug ridden. The systems we have today are neither friendly, nor safe. They do not take privacy seriously and fail to respect user freedoms. What we have today is a new form of feudalism, where users don't own their software, pay rent forever, and have their data living on someone else's infrastructure, with terms that can change unilaterally.
We propose an alternative vision for computing: one where users truly own their systems, from hardware to software with the ability to inspect and modify it to their needs. This requires a computer system that is comprehensible by a single human, open source, and accessible. Neither of these qualities is enough on its own.
User sovereignty is not something that can be retrofitted onto existing platforms. We have to rethink personal computing from the ground up; so that our values can be its new foundation. A design fit for the next generation, free from historical baggage, and free from Big Tech's influence.
A computer designed this way will not only afford users sovereignty over their data and digital identities, but will unlock the true potential of personal computing, as a medium of expression and tool for human agency.
Radiant is in early phases of development. To follow along, read our log or reach out.