What should I do!?

[ArtificialSynapse]

I have probably 20 functional computers sitting around my house at any given time, usually packed away in my basement, but they're always there. Last night I decided to build a "box" although it's actually not in a box, and it's just sitting above me with it's monitor glaring down at me from above where I have it mounted on my desk. It's 266mhz, 300something megs of ram running DSL installed on the HDD at the moment.

What should I do with it?

Something simple and not too time consuming, I'm just looking for new project ideas. ;)

[joriad]

Make it into an artistic display.

[Polygon]

you could run a server of some sort on it.

as for the rest of those old computers in your basement, you could fix them up and turn them into servers or if they are semi fast enough (as in fast enough to run like web browser, abiword, etc..... just to throw this out there my 400 mhz 128mb ram computer can do this) then you could possibly give those away to charity or some other non profit organization.

[joriad]

You could also use it for home automation. I don't know how time consuming it would be, but I wouldn't think it would take too long to figure it out.

[ICUR2Ys]

Aren't they still recruiting people to join the ubuntu team and run folding@home?

That would be an altruistic use.

dace

[ArtificialSynapse]

You could also use it for home automation. I don't know how time consuming it would be, but I wouldn't think it would take too long to figure it out.

Elaborate!

[joriad]

Elaborate!

I don't know much about home automation, but the computer could be used as a central brain for controlling lights, hvac systems, door and window security systems, television control, or other ir device control. Heres a wiki on it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_automation
If I had a secondary older computer I think I would try something like this. Just a thought.

[shen-an-doah]

You could stick a large hard drive in it and copy all your music to it and just have something like Amarok running and it could be a jukebox of sorts...

[ArtificialSynapse]

All good ideas, keep them coming!

I want twenty by the time I wake up for class tomorrow!!!!!


Thanks guys : )

[joriad]

Here's a link with useful ideas for your old computers http://thefuntimesguide.com/2004/11/oldcomputeruses.php

[igknighted]

If you really have a bunch you could cluster them and make them into one "super" computer :). Desktop use wouldn't see much affect, if any, but complex calculations could be done very quickly with enough computers in the cluster.

Sidenote, I might task a secondary machine I have lying around to home automation as well, that looks really neat.

[hessiess]

join all of your old computers together to make a renderfarm

[urukrama]

You coud fix some (if they need to be fixed), install linux on them, and donate them to some chartiy/volunteer-based organisation that could really use them.

[ArtificialSynapse]

join all of your old computers together to make a renderfarm

What's that?


To anyone / everyone who uses home automation : What programs do you use?

I know of Mister House, and some commercial stuff which I'm not interested in, that's about it.

[owise1]

Get a copy of Linux Toys - lots of ideas from a music servicer - telephone answering machine - controller for toy cars - weather station. Book is a bit dated now but so is the hardware you have!!

Cheers

[hessiess]

Quote:
Originally Posted by hessiess View Post
join all of your old computers together to make a renderfarm
What's that?

a network of computers that dos 3d rendering

[joriad]

What's that?


To anyone / everyone who uses home automation : What programs do you use?

I know of Mister House, and some commercial stuff which I'm not interested in, that's about it.

I don't use home automation myself (would like to though) but here are a few links that I have found, freebsd looks like it has some free software but I don't know much about it yet.
http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/4312
http://people.freebsd.org/~fsmp/HomeAuto/HomeAuto.html