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PennyOS

A handheld computer that runs off your own server.

v1.23.0. Latest release 14 Oct 2026.

PennyOS Home in the cyberdeck theme: four groups on the left, the Work apps in the middle, a clock and the queue on the right.
PennyOS Home in the cyberdeck theme: four groups on the left, the Work apps in the middle, a clock and the queue on the right.
PennyOS Home in the terminal theme: three blue panels, the groups as directories.
PennyOS Home in the terminal theme: three blue panels, the groups as directories.
PennyOS Home in the win95 theme: a file manager window with the groups as folders.
PennyOS Home in the win95 theme: a file manager window with the groups as folders.

What it does

PennyOS is a drawn shell for a small Linux handheld with a 1280 by 720 screen, a keyboard and a trackpad: thirty-two apps in four groups, three themes, and a server at home doing the thinking. Plug in a pair of display glasses and the same screen rides on your face.

  • Thirty-two apps in four groups: Work, Knowledge, Travel & World, System. Each opens on one key.
  • Offline maps with address search and walk, drive and transit directions for the cities on the next trip. A copy of the wiki. Mail and news as last synced.
  • Messages: WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram and iMessage in one app, through a Beeper account on the server.
  • Mesh: LoRa chat over Meshtastic and MeshCore radios, with a map of the nodes the radio hears.
  • A terminal with a pointer, selection and the clipboard. Claude Code runs in it.
  • Three themes, cyberdeck, terminal and win95, and a simple mode with eleven apps.
  • The disk is encrypted and opens with a PIN. Lock with one key.

Requirements

A small Linux handheld with a 1280 by 720 panel, a keyboard and a trackpad, and an always on Mac or Linux server over SSH holding an Obsidian vault. Source by request.

Changelog

  1. 1.23.0

    Mesh gets a map of the nodes the radio hears, on the offline tiles, with directions to any of them.

  2. 1.22.0

    Offline address search and walk, drive and transit directions on Trip's map, for London, Barcelona, Paris and the Bay Area.

  3. 1.21.11

    Field's Places retries a busy map server and reads amber, never red, when it is down.

  4. 1.21.10

    A held Enter never confirms, sends or searches. A failed send keeps the form.

Full changelog

Work

  • dDecisionsWhat is waiting on you.
  • cChangesWhat the agents wrote, to approve or refuse.
  • mMailThe inbox, read only, with the server's filters.
  • TMessagesWhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, Instagram, iMessage.
  • bJobsThe job search pipeline.
  • hCoachA coaching session, filed when it ends.
  • yResearchDeep dives, run on the server.
  • CCasesCase files for open questions about people and places.
  • PProjectsEvery project and its next action.
  • kTerminalA real terminal. Claude Code runs here.

Knowledge

  • aAskClaude, run in your vault, drawn as a page.
  • oSearchPublic records lookups by name, email, phone or domain.
  • vVaultThe wiki, read only, from a copy on disk.
  • nNotesPlain text, saved on every key.
  • jJournalOne page a day, behind the PIN.
  • gGlanceThe briefing: what is late, what is next.
  • qChatA local model on the server, answering from the wiki.

Travel & World

  • eTripPlaces, offline maps, search and directions for the trip.
  • fFieldThe first twenty minutes in a city you do not know.
  • wWeatherNow, the week, air, sky and ground.
  • rNewsYour feeds, read state shared with the glasses.
  • tStoreWho owns and who is leasing a storefront.

System

  • xSettingsDisplay, themes, motion, Home, lock, power.
  • RRouterThe travel router, from the handheld.
  • HMeshLoRa radios: chats, contacts, the radio, a map.
  • uUsageClaude limits and token counts, from the server.
  • iLinkPair with the glasses.
  • zClockThe face the screen wears when you are not typing.
  • IImportA camera card, straight to the NAS.
  • MPhotosA picture viewer.
  • pSolitaireKlondike, draw one.
  • AAnalyzeFirmware and binaries, taken apart.
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