thelinuxlink.net

I just read Pat's blog and it got me thinking about a topic that really bothers me.

One of the reasons I started to learn Linux was to salvage some ageing computers that I owned, but were getting useless to use as Windows machines. Old Windows versions, no support, running slower than turtles. Now that I've been working with Linux for two years, I have been troubled by the number of computers that are just thrown away. I would also like to find that dumpster of Windows computers. So I was wondering if we could each answer two questions.

What computers have you rescued from landfills recently?

In the past two years I have been given the following:
Pentium 500 with 128megs of ram (has 320megs of ram and runs Ubuntu Dapper)

AMD 1000 with 256megs of ram DVD-Drive(Came to me with a bad power supply, would not even turn on, so I replaced that for $30. Had it running Slackware, but has weird hardware issues, which I believe are related to a bad motherboard, doesn't seem worth getting a new motherboard for it.)

Pentium 300 with 32megs of ram (Extremely clean machine working great, never been on the internet. Family got rid of it because they could not use the latest version of accounting software for their family business. Gave it away to a LUG member who added it to his cluster.)

Digital Server 5305 with a DEC Alpha 533 chip inside, 3 SCSI drives, tap drive, CD-ROM drive (Extremely clean machine, must have been in a super clean server room. Not in use because I don't know where I'm going to put it. I have no space in my office, nor a computer cart it will fit on, it is big and heavy. I hope to install NetBSD on it.)

What examples have you seen or heard of that sends computers to the landfills?

I heard from a WalMart worker that all of their old systems are completely pulverized and sent to the landfill. WalMart does not want to take any chances that their business data will fall into someone else's hands. That about made me sick to think of the number of servers and computers that Walmart regularly upgrades. I would gladly take a Walmart throw away without the hard drive and put it back into service.

We are a "throw away" society, and I hope that the free OS's can help to change that. A program in my area opened a computer learning center for inner city folks who can't afford to buy a computer. People can come and use the internet, learn basic program use through Open Office. The whole center runs Linux on machines that were being replaced and upgraded at area businesses. Although I know that it seems to be pointless at times keeping some of those old machines running. Even Linc threw away a bunch of stuff recently. Projects like Damn Small and Puppy are really great distros that could help give longer life spans to these old machines.

mowestusa

Good topic.

What computers have you rescued from landfills recently?

I've had a couple of offers from people at work to bring their 95 machines in, but they haven't gotten around to it yet. You've got a good point though, people like you and me taking them and doing whatver the hell with them is better than trashing them. Turning them into something that can help others is of course, even better.

What examples have you seen or heard of that sends computers to the landfills?

I could be wrong, but I'd bet that people have 95 and 98 computers in their attic, while XP computers get thrown in the trash because people have replaced them - mistakenly thinking they were shot (actually infested with Spyware).

mowestusa wrote:Although I know that it seems to be pointless at times keeping some of those old machines running. Even Linc threw away a bunch of stuff recently. Projects like Damn Small and Puppy are really great distros that could help give longer life spans to these old machines.
mowestusa

HOLD on now! Linc didn't throw anything away that was actually *working*! That would be heresy!

Actually, I tend to keep and use things that even the dumpdiggers of the computer world won't use. Things like old decstations and sparcstations, etc. The funny part about this is my standards for keeping a PeeCee are a lot higher than for any other computer. But I do have several on hand anyway, and several more in my storage locker. I have a couple 400 mhz machines, a spare 233mhz dell that is a direct replacement for my current file/time/dhcp server (running NetBSD for *YEARS*). I think I have a 433 mhz emachine and a 800mhz somethingorother that my father-in-law was tossing because the "fan makes noise". Then there are thr PPC machines. I have a few of those too.

I've salvaged a couple of relatively nice Pentium III 833 computers that were going to be thrown out because the business switched to thin clients; I installed Ubuntu on one of them and gave it to a friend--I wish I woud have kept it and put Knoppmyth on it --and I'm using the other as a web, mail and print server, and it works really well. The only thing is that they had token ring network cards in them, but I had an old wireless card laying around, and stuck that in, and it recognized it fine.

Those IBM's are actually a pretty decent machine in my book, especially when I bumped up the ram to over 300 megs. On the other hand, I have my sister's old K6 running at 477 MHz, with only 48 Megs of RAM, and it runs Puppy like a champ. Mozilla takes a little while to get started, but runs well after it gets started. I was surprised that Dann didn't try to use Puppy linux on that machine for their friends. The new Puppy2 does use a bit more RAM, but has some slick features to help reduce reading and writing when it's run off a USB drive, and it's redone a lot of the work under the hood. I've tried Damn Small Linux, too, which is a great distro, but for some reason I prefer Puppy, which has a lot of simple scripts and tools for managing things.

I almost forgot about an old gentoo machine I have at work, too. It's a Pentium 166, though I stuck 128 megs of RAM in there, and I'm using it as a WebDAV server for the calendar. I don't know where to find old machines, though, since most of these I got from family and friends.

Vogateer wrote: I was surprised that Dann didn't try to use Puppy linux on that machine for their friends. The new Puppy2 does use a bit more RAM, but has some slick features to help reduce reading and writing when it's run off a USB drive,

Dann did consider puppy linux, but it was a bit too heavy. One of the problems I had with the machine was that it would not boot isolinux. I had to get the [insert name of the boot technology I cannot recall right at this moment].

I rarely come across throw away systems anymore. Maybe that it because I do my best to stay away from fixing home PC's lately. Furthermore, those that do come my way with the possibility of being disgarded I try to get working again for the owners. A little education goes a long way, but not as long as a nice Linux install.

I've thrown out a number of systems over the past few weeks. Well, i should say I took them to the recycling center. Before doing that, I stripped them of their useful parts, cosolidating a number of paltry, low-end machines into a beefier low end machine.

dann wrote:I had to get the [insert name of the boot technology I cannot recall right at this moment].

Busybox?

Chess wrote:

dann wrote:I had to get the [insert name of the boot technology I cannot recall right at this moment].

Busybox?

No, syslinux.

It's funny this topic came up. Today I received a 500hz gateway that my mom's friend replaced. I hard drive is making a crazy noize every time I click on something. I am going to replace the drive with another one I have in a frankenstein machine that is in the corner of my basement. I want to experiment with a web/mail server.

I have taken in several machines in the last couple of months. Now I have to sneak them in because the wife doesn't like to see them in the basement. I tell her it's better than being a mechanic, junk auto parts everywhare. lol Anyway, I also would like to get into the Windows dumpster to make some machines for friends that aren't afraid to try something new.

dann wrote:
I rarely come across throw away systems anymore. Maybe that it because I do my best to stay away from fixing home PC's lately.

Werd.

I stick to my closest of friends who respect my words of wisdom/advice. Family and random dorks that want me to rid their machine of virii or malware are SOL. Not worth it in the end.

shopRatt wrote:I have taken in several machines in the last couple of months. Now I have to sneak them in because the wife doesn't like to see them in the basement. I tell her it's better than being a mechanic, junk auto parts everywhare.

Bringing old computers home would never do here, wife would not be happy to have four computers in different states of repair in the den. I have stored mine at my office, but the secretary doesn't really like that option either. I need a nice, clean, airconditioned shed for this hobby. Especially if I start saving more machines.

mowestusa

mowestusa wrote:Bringing old computers home would never do here, wife would not be happy to have four computers in different states of repair in the den.

It's been working for me so far, but I've got a spare room in the basement that I use as a workshop. I've got:

• a Pentium 200 with 32 megs of ram in good working order
  a PII 233 that needs work
  a PIII 733 with an exploded motherboard
  a Gateway PII 350 with 128 megs and a 40 gig HD in excellent shape

The Gateway was just given to me along with 2 17" monitors in excellent shape. Currently none of these systems are running, but I may find a use for them eventually.

The best is the Celeron 500 Toshiba laptop that was given to me because it won't run Windows XP anymore.

Gomer_X wrote: It's been working for me so far, but I've got a spare room in the basement that I use as a workshop.

The best is the Celeron 500 Toshiba laptop that was given to me because it won't run Windows XP anymore.

The basement is a problem. The wife would love to give me the basement as a workshop, but a basement in a 106 year old house is not a friendly environment for computers. water seeps through the walls and floor in heavy rains. It is a moist, dusty dungeon of a basement, that I don't think would be kind to computer parts. The upstairs of the house has a junk laundry room, but my wife has taken that over for scrapbooking. The rest of the house is livable space that guests would see and shreek in horror at such disarray.

I would love an old Celeron 500 laptop for taking a Linux box easily to LUG meetings. Sweet deal.

mowestusa

I've just recently retired a Pentium 200 MHz with 32 MB, that was running as a print server for my HP Deskjet 1000C. This is the software information. It's a floppy based setup. I know... 32 MB is over kill for the setup, but that's what I had before blowing away Win95 on it.

The reason for retirement you ask? I've purchased a great little Lexmark e120N Laserjet. Plugs directly into my router. Black and white only, but I don't print colour at home anymore.[/url]

With high from technicians such as Geek Squad and others it's no wonder that people are willing to throw out their old windows computers and just get a new one. Trying to convince someone that the machine is STILL quite usable running Linux is the real challenge.