On Tuesday 31 July 2007 23:28, Paul M Foster wrote:
> Folks:
>
> David Meyer mentioned something to me a while back that seemed like a
> good idea, but might not work too well because we're not incorporated as
> a non-profit. However, it got me thinking, and I thought of a twist on it.
>
> His original idea was to solicit area businesses for their old computers
> (instead of them dumping them in dumpsters), put Linux on them, and then
> donate them to schools, etc. The advantage to businesses would be a tax
> write-off by donating them to a non-profit organization.
>
> While we could still do something like that, it would take more
> convincing for area businesses, and would not benefit them as much (I
> don't think they could claim a deduction for donating them to us). Of
> course, for businesses intending to *trash* their computers, this would
> be a better alternative for them.
>
> However, nothing would stop us doing something similar among our ranks.
> The idea would be that if you have an old computer or computers just
> gathering dust, you could put Linux on it and donate it to a local
> school or nursing facility or something. This might require a more
> lightweight distro, since older computers usually have less RAM, and
> many current distros require a fair amount to install in. I'd say that
> the computer would need a working (and tested) 10 or 100 Base T NIC
> card, a standard video card (at least 800x600 resolution), and a
> smattering of GUI applications, like an email client, office suite (SIAG
> Office is a lightweight alternative), some games, etc. Some computers
> would only be suitable for servers or firewalls, and could be loaded
> with IPCOP or Coyote firewalls.
>
> There are probably logistics that would need to be worked out. You could
> take this stuff to your nearest school when completed. But if not, who
> would do it instead? Could these computers be brought to meetings? Could
> someone there do the actual work if you were unwilling to?
>
> There are probably many ways to do this. My main concern is that the
> computers be *usable* for the intended users.
>
> In any case, it's something to think about.
>
> Paul
Businesses can not legally put their old computers in the trash. They have to
pay people to recycle them.
My wife was running OPEN SUSE 10.2 on a PII 350 with 256M ram until it
physically died.
Richard Smoot
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