What should I do with my spare computer?

[millstone]

What should I do with my spare computer? Any Ideas because all it is doing now is collecting dust.

[credobyte]

Folding@Home (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=101817) :)
(http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=101817)

[howefield]

Give it away...

If you don't wanna do that, the fact it is sitting collecting dust suggests it is maybe old and low spec ? That might limit what you would want to do with it, so, what are the specs of the machine ?

[Странник]

Make a webserver and host your own blog or something useful :)

[MelDJ]

give it to me:)

[CharmyBee]

Make a webserver and host your own blog or something useful :)

And give out the ssh login too!


If the spare is a spare, then i'd keep it as a spare. You never know when your main computer will blow up affecting the opportunity to pay the bills.

[millstone]

It's not that old, it's a pentium something thats 1.8 GHz.The ram is 1gb. I would use it as a web-server however my ISP will not allow that kind of bandwidth.

[MelDJ]

whats the processor?

[benj1]

set it up as a media server, mpd, vlc, hook it up to your tv, stream music, video around your house.

[scrooge_74]

give it to me:)

Damn it!!!

18 mins late to ask for it


Depends on the specs, you could use it for file server or backups or for Multimedia Center (download movies, and use it to put music around the house)

[pwnst*r]

What should I do with my spare computer? Any Ideas because all it is doing now is collecting dust.

donate it or give it to someone that can't afford to buy one.

[dragos240]

And give out the ssh login too!


If the spare is a spare, then i'd keep it as a spare. You never know when your main computer will blow up affecting the opportunity to pay the bills.

Is that a reference to my server charmy?

[Earl_Maroon]

Home fileserver.

[-grubby]

Is that a reference to my server charmy?

It is could be.

[alindgr1]

+1 for Folding at home.

[millstone]

I can't make up my mind so I will turn it into a folding@home/media center/file server. Problem solved. :)

[benj1]

I can't make up my mind so I will turn it into a folding@home/media center/file server. Problem solved. :)

dont forget backup server and print server

[Khakilang]

Use it to test Linux distro before actually install in your actual computer.

[K.Mandla]

Since you asked ...

http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2007/09/14/things-to-do-with-an-old-computer/
http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/ten-things-you-can-do-keep-an-old-computer-useful/
http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2008/10/28/ten-reasons-not-to-buy-a-new-computer/
http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2009/04/11/three-reasons-to-buy-an-old-computer/
http://kmandla.wordpress.com/2009/09/25/howto-pick-out-an-old-computer/

:D

[pwnst*r]

It is could be.

lolz

[fluxbuntu]

I had an old Compaq once that I just installed the base sytem to without X. It really helped in learning how linux works. Using text browsers, mutt mail, etc. was a lot of fun too. I had to keep that linux in a nutshell book nearby to remember commands though. In the end it was what showed me just how fast a system can be utilizing the keyboard and commands.

[Jekshadow]

Make it a server, thats what I did with mine.

[juancarlospaco]

Install Ubuntu and sell it,
with the money buy a beer or a gift for your girlfriend.

[handy]

IPCop firewall/router/+ other services, running the Copfilter add-on, which allows you to run Privoxy (with brilliant supplied config') without slowing down your surfing.

You could under clock the box as far as the BIOS/motherboard will allow you so as to save electricity.

If that doesn't appeal, you could create a FreeNAS backup/storage server. Again keeping the thing under clocked to save on juice.

I have both the above, IPCop on a PIII, a PII would be better, & FreeNAS in a machine too powerful, but I only boot it to backup then shut it down.

KMandla has a great how to for creating a torrent server, (probably linked to in his previous post) again, you'd under clock it (if you can) to save money on the power bill.

For more info' on the above this thread goes into more details:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1005192

This one on the technical side of the IPCop setup in particular:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=6303994&postcount=29

[LookTJ]

+1 to handy's..and F@H. as well as Freenas.

[Eisenwinter]

set it up as a media server, mpd, vlc, hook it up to your tv, stream music, video around your house.
+1.

This is a good idea, I was going to suggest something similar.

Make it a backup computer (as in, backup your data in there, such as music and videos).

Install a very minimalist Linux distro on it, such as Gentoo, Arch, LFS, Debian netinstall, or any other you might want.

Put all your data in there.

[HappinessNow]

make the old monitor (if you have one) into an aquarium

[xpod]

make the old monitor (if you have one) into an aquarium

Save money by just installing *buntu(gnome) and running...

free the fish

130484

[madhi19]

If you had the bandwidth I would have said make a seed box! lolll since you don't am voting home files server and media server for your ps3/xbox.

[forrestcupp]

I have an extra computer hidden behind my furnace that I'm using as a printer/file server, and for Magic Jack. It's on all the time, and it doesn't have a monitor, keyboard, or mouse.

[Bachstelze]

A barrel roll.