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Maupertus
February 9th, 2006, 06:42 PM
The question is really simple...

I have an old PIII 450 256Ram 7Gig HD....now what to do with it?

I guess I could use it as a server, but I don't have any problems with using a switch (which we currently have), a NAS disk might be nice, but those 7G's on a 6 year old IDE HD, would that work?

So, what would YOU do with it...and be fair, I mean, junk is junk no matter how hard you stare at it, but if some fun could be had with it...well I like having fun :mrgreen:

If you want to post something complicated, please do, but explanatory links are appreciated.

geekphreak
February 9th, 2006, 06:45 PM
I would use it as a server, and try out different things, it would be a testing machine I would not care if it dies or not, as long as I could get something useful and educational out of it...

GeneralZod
February 9th, 2006, 07:04 PM
Since it has 256MB RAM (the CPU is far less important), I think it could still make a pretty good desktop. If it was mine, I'd give it to a school or someone who needs/ would benefit from a PC. It seems too good to be written off as a server :)

jonathanm
February 9th, 2006, 07:10 PM
well i have 256mb ram and it works fine as my desktop, just checked and i have used 4.2gb on my rootfs (which is everything, home etc) so it should be ok to use as a desktop like was said.

Iandefor
February 9th, 2006, 07:11 PM
Me? I'd couple it with a few other old computers and try a cluster with it.

ubuntumaneh
February 9th, 2006, 07:21 PM
This is much better than the computer I use the most here for my regular job (write, programing, make calculations...if it is heavy calculation I can wrap it on a script and use other computer in my local ethernet)...I use also to watch some movies (of couse it cannot be so big)...

So you can have lots of fun with your computer...the first is how to achieve the best performance for it...Remember that movie "Apollo", when the people in NASA was trying to remove lots of junkies of the spacecraft. It is like that.

nemik
February 9th, 2006, 08:21 PM
i say run it as a server or if you have no interest in that, give it to a poor/low-income family with young children and prep them on ubuntu a little.
they'll be happy and have a nice system. :)

prizrak
February 9th, 2006, 08:26 PM
1) You can run it as a hardware firewall w/smoothwall or any other similar OS.
2) You can run it as an intranet server.
3) You can put Damn Small Linux on it and use it for a desktop, either yourself or donate to someone.
PIII makes a decent working machine, got a friend who has 2 comps both in that range and while slow (Windows user) more that capable as far as Web/Email/Office are concerned.

mohapi
February 9th, 2006, 08:26 PM
You could put it to work for the common good of humanity. ...

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/

I have a friend who runs an ancient Latitude laptop in his basement. All it does is help search for life in outer space. If anything, that seems a noble cause.

I don't know how or even if it's possible through the BOINC project and Linux, although I hear the Folding@Home project (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=101817) is pushing hard in the Linux community.

Edit: There is a package on the BOINC web site just for Linux, although I haven't tried it. And I knew I'd find the link for the Folding@Home site if I tried long enough. ...

poofyhairguy
February 9th, 2006, 09:18 PM
I would turm it into glorified Super Nintendo with Zsnes.

Not as noble as the other suggestions!

dolny
February 9th, 2006, 09:52 PM
...or other emulator, dunno how Neoragex/MAME emulator would run on it.
Buy two gamepads and play ;)

...yeah, not as noble. :oops:

You could turn it into Amiga ;) using Amiga Forever self-boot package based on Knoppix.

mstlyevil
February 9th, 2006, 10:10 PM
I would use it as a glorified hardware firewall and a router.

TechSonic
February 9th, 2006, 10:25 PM
I would turm it into glorified Super Nintendo with Zsnes.

Not as noble as the other suggestions!


NOOOO! SUPER SEGA GENESIS! Genesis does what Nintendon't.

tseliot
February 9th, 2006, 10:52 PM
...
3) You can put Damn Small Linux on it and use it for a desktop, either yourself or donate to someone.
PIII makes a decent working machine, got a friend who has 2 comps both in that range and while slow (Windows user) more that capable as far as Web/Email/Office are concerned.
OR use Ubuntu and install Openbox (and use it instead of GNOME)

Brunellus
February 9th, 2006, 11:18 PM
OR use Ubuntu and install Openbox (and use it instead of GNOME)
or, indeed fluxbox.

Teroedni
February 9th, 2006, 11:22 PM
Or testing Framebuffer on it
And Direct Fb;)

Install dapper on it .
Xubuntu,Gnome or lightvw and try to enable compix and xgl for it;)
Maybe the machine cat get a lot faster then;)

256 mb ram is much more now then it was on Hoary
Dapper seems to use much lesser ram
I think you can get Dapper to run on 128mb (havent tested but i think its possible:)

ssam
February 10th, 2006, 12:06 AM
maybe you could find a linux developer who could benifit from it. (its handy to have a testing machine aswell as a day to day machine.)

or there is freecycle (http://www.freecycle.org/)

carla
February 10th, 2006, 12:24 AM
You could put it to work for the common good of humanity. ...

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/

I have a friend who runs an ancient Latitude laptop in his basement. All it does is help search for life in outer space. If anything, that seems a noble cause.

I don't know how or even if it's possible through the BOINC project and Linux, although I hear the Folding@Home project (http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=101817) is pushing hard in the Linux community.

:KS There's also the World Community Grid: http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org

majikstreet
February 10th, 2006, 12:46 AM
give it to me. or ask on linuxquestions.org, a lot will want it.

Maupertus
February 13th, 2006, 05:01 PM
Thanks for your suggestions!

So, first thing I did was offer the box with a clean ubuntu install to an organisation that offers some additional support to less privileged families.
The reaction I got was: "That's very nice, but we only take computers above 900 mHz." Owh well, apparently things aren't as grim in the Netherlands as the news and politicians want us to think. (Now how can that be! I mean it's the news! They don't lie...do they? ;) )

I talked it over with my roommate and we agreed that it would be fun to use it as a kind of fileserver. It only has a 7Gb harddrive, but if we could upgrade that just slightly we want to use it to share our music, downloaded tools and whatnot.

So now I'm looking for a good "How-to" so I can let his windows box and my Linux box interact with each other on the potential fileserver.

The good thing is that my roommate has an old box at his parents home which is going to be our new SNES! (Thanks guys!)