what software comes with the picocalc? I’m interested in the device, but what can I do out of the box before I venture into some of the other projects I see here?
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PicoMite is the preloaded firmware on the PicoCalc. But, there is more firmware available online (like my own, Astralixi OS), and preloaded on the SD card there is also an NES emulator, ulisp (mini lisp), fuzix (mini unix), and you can also get micropython!
Check around the forums for many more projects.
Best way to look at what comes with the PicoCalc is that it’s a preview of the software you can run on it. It’s also a way to quickly test your hardware after you build the device to make sure the major components (screen, keyboard, speakers, etc.) are working. As true with all Clockwork devices, the software that comes installed will never see any significant updates for Clockwork (whether that’s Linux distro updates or bug fixes for applications). If you want to use your device effectively, you need to check the forums and find community software which will be far more up to date, and will likely include bugfixes and features that go well beyond what ships with the device.
The good news is the forums are active, and if you have questions you can usually find answers by searching or ask and someone will usually respond. Most of the software that gets posted to the forums also includes instructions on how to install and/or use it, and most of it is open source.
While Clockwork devices are meant to be devices for tinkerers, and not necessarily “plug and play”, the community provides a lot of resources so everyone doesn’t have to build their stuff from scratch. There’s plenty of hardware tinkering going on too, which usually takes the form of instructions and pictures posted to the forum but sometimes ends up being additional components that you can purchase pre-made on Tindie or other sites.
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The reply from @adcockm perfectly captures the wonderful possibilities of the PicoCalc and this amazing community.
Let me add what you’ll feel when you first use it out of the box: it’s a device you can actually hold in your hands — with a real, physical keyboard — that turns on with a single press of a button. Instantly, by pressing F4, you’re in MMBasic, ready to program while lying on the sofa, relaxing in your garden, sitting in a camper van, or taking a short break at work.
Nothing stands between you and your code. You write it, run it, and experience the joy of immediate creation — right there on the PicoCalc itself.
Out of the box, it’s not just a computer; it’s a rediscovery of what programming used to feel like — simple, direct, and deeply personal. A beautiful return to the roots of creative coding.
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