Show HN: Purple Computer – Turn an old laptop into a calm first kids computer
purplecomputer.orgHey HN, I'm Tavi. I built this for my 4-year-old.
He and I used to "computer code" together in IPython: typing words to see emojis, mixing colors, making sounds. Eventually he wanted his own computer. So I took an old laptop and made him one.
That IPython session evolved into Explore mode, a REPL where kids type things and something always happens: "cat * 5" shows five cats, "red + blue" mixes colors like real paint, math gets dot visualizations. Then came Play mode (every key makes a sound and paints a color) and Doodle mode (write and paint). The whole machine boots straight into Purple. No desktop, no browser, no internet.
It felt different from "screen time." He'd use it for a while, then walk away on his own. No tantrum, no negotiation.
Some technical bits: it's a Python TUI (Textual in Alacritty) running on Ubuntu, so even very old laptops run it well. Keyboard input bypasses the terminal entirely via evdev for true key-down/key-up events, which lets me do sticky shift and double-tap capitals so kids don't have to hold two keys. Color mixing uses spectral reflectance curves so colors actually mix like paint (yellow + blue = green, not gray).
Source is on GitHub: https://github.com/purplecomputerorg/purplecomputer
I don't understand why if something is not good for adults is labeled for kids? Any old laptop will do do the job. Also if something is for kids it should have no WiFi/bt as it is health hazard.
op here, thanks for the question! Yup, any old laptop will do the job, that's the point! But by installing this as the OS essentially, kids can have ownership over the machine. As for why it's not good enough for adults: old computers don't always run new software very well, but Ubuntu + TUI = very smooth.
Author here. I'm curious whether other parents would actually want something like this. It’s intentionally very opinionated: no desktop, no browser, no apps, just boots straight in. I don’t know if that constraint feels freeing or limiting to others.
Distribution is the biggest open question for me. Right now it’s just an ISO you flash yourself, but I’m experimenting with mailing pre-flashed USB drives. I've also thought about preloading old laptops, though that adds a lot of overhead.
I'm also very open to technical feedback around the input layer (evdev for true key-down/key-up, sticky shift, double-tap caps) and the paint-style color mixing, or anything else. Thank you!
Test comment from manual browser posting