Computing within Limits 2026

Several months ago I attended Computing Within Limits 2026. Well, it was online, so I joined a zoom call for the 3 days. It was as good a time, focused on the overlap of computers and sustainability.

Generally I lurk in the permacomputing regions of the web. This conference's workshop format: mixing discussions and presentations was good for pushing me to participate. It was very academic and I'm rarely one to sit and read research papers in my free time, let alone speak up in a discussion about them. This conference forced me through those nerves and I enjoyed it all the more because of it. As a bonus, everyone I talked with was wonderful, welcoming and enthusiastic.

Coming more from the software engineering industry side of these discussions I learned a lot about the sustainability & environmental impact side. Not just the direct impacts and work being done, but also the feelings of those working in those fields.

My Takeaways

Structural Change, Not Dashboards

Nobody wants dashboards and for good reason. There was a paper that culminated in a score that could be used by teams to measure ecological impact. I approached the post-paper discussion with a fairly positive outlook on it, but the experience of those I talked with there made it clear that these sorts of things can't be counted on.

A new dashboard itself doesn't change the structure of the business, or its fundamental goals, as such they don't limit the companies ecological impacts effectively. Given that most business structures (promotion paths, business strategies, performance metrics) promote and rely on growth, and these scores and dashboards encourage de-growth, the systems are at complete odds. Any dashboard introduced will likely mean nothing to the higher ups making decisions, so it will mean nothing to the workers and work being measured. Instead it looks like something's been done, so it can be a box checked by those in charge to say "we're doing sustainability", when they're not changing anything.

Apparently this is an incredibly common that pattern that I wasn't aware of. The metric being introduced in the presentation wasn't worthless, and could provide useful insights, but isn't a structural solution that will on it's own instigate change. I wish I had clocked that in the moment, but one of the joys of being wrong is that now I have a better understanding.

Everything Advertises Itself

I say this, knowing that I'm typing on a MacBook, listening in through a pair of AirPods. I also bike to the local coffee shops, and my 5 year old Android phone is still going strong.

Every car out in the lot, and the lot itself for this coffee shop and it's surrounding shopping mall is an advertisement saying that Driving Is The Way. My bike parked in the middle of it all is an ad for an alternative. Every metro trip to and from the grocery store is an advert for that option. Every year older that my devices get is a sign that a new whatever still doesn't matter.

I won't just stop using my unsustainable computers. I'll make them last like everything else I use. Living sustainably, even if only partly, is an ad for more sustainability. How you present yourself is important, as it can plant ideas for anyone who sees how they too can live.

Sustainable Systems are Inevitable

It's a broad takeaway but it's worth considering while other recent technological developments are claiming inevitability, this is one situation where that's actually a safe bet. For better and worse, unsustainable systems will pivot into a sustainable one, or will degrade and collapse. Irrationality can last a long time, but it will fall apart.

Can computers be built in a way that is fully sustainable? Can software be developed and deployed sustainably? I don't know. If the rest of society suffers some amount of collapse as a result of their wide use, then maybe not. Component production relies on the global supply chain. That supply chain becoming less consistent for any reason will inevitably affect computers among many other things.

An important note is that the impact of unsustainable systems are unevenly spread, so those causing ecological collapse in one area are unlikely to feel the effects. Sustainability may be inevitable, but the path there isn't going to be easy, and intentional ignorance from the systems beneficiaries is almost always a given.

Cool Work is Happening

It's easy to feel like nothing is happening but there are people trying to build sustainably.

People are recycling computers, building frameworks that run on older and lower end computers to make it easier to keep things running for longer. People are exploring alternative forms of environmental cooperation, thinking outside of the restrictions of existing limitations. There is work being done and there are reasons to be optimistic.

Further Reading Ahead

All of the papers seemed worth reading in depth. I haven't gotten to them. It's been months and I haven't. I'm going through with posting this now anyways. If the takeaways here caught your attention, I recommend checking the Computing within limits 2026 site to go through and read the papers that led to them.

Beyond papers, several books were mentioned throughout that I plan on checking out (eventually) as well.

The Collapse of Complex Societies

• This seems to be a fundamental bit of reading in the sustainable computing space, so much so that it was mentioned off hand as though all attendees have read it.

Understanding Planetary Limits

• Edited by: Chelsea Schelly, Bonnie Nardi, Robert McLachlan, and Ben McCall. A book by some of the presenters, which isn't out yet, but I'm keeping an eye out for it.

Energy at the End of the World: An Orkney Islands Saga

• Not directly mentioned during the presentation, but the Orkney cloud was mentioned, and I went down a slight rabbit hole to look into it. As a result this book has ended up on the list.

Governing the Commons

• Elinor Ostrom's Eight Principles were mentioned a few times, but I was entirely unfamiliar with them. This hopefully will be a good introduction to Ostrom's research, as well as provide more background on those principles that seem to come up frequently. Additionally, I'll check out Derek Wall's "Elinor Ostrom’s Rules for Radicals" to go further down this rabbit hole.

Why Now

This is being put up way later than I intended. As a result I'm sure I've forgotten important details, and I know that there's a lot from the discussions that didn't make it into my notes. I had hoped to dive deeper into the papers but the last few months haven't allowed for it, and the next few seem like they wont either. Despite that, this post and the event have lingered in the back of my mind, feeling too important to drop.

So, I'm putting this up now because it's better late than nothing. I can least share a bit of what I took away from my experience. This conference's attendees and presentations were a light in the darkness. I hope to attend again in the future, more informed and with more to contribute and take away from it.

Published Oct 01, 2026