Don't know what to do with your old PC?<\/p>\n
Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
You probably have an old PC or two in your garage, just
\nrotting away. Those 386 or 486 processors just don't stand a
\nchance against today's Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon chips that are
\ncurrently leading the market today.<\/p>\n
Some say that these machines are next to worthless. They could
\nbarely run Microsoft Windows 3.1 (the forerunner to Windows 95,
\nremember?) and you certainly can't surf the net with it.<\/p>\n
Or can you?<\/p>\n
You can actually put these old machines into service. The
\nsecret lies in software. You don't really need the latest,
\ngreatest release if the first version works fine. The basic
\nrequirements for running these old computers are that:
\n* It is relatively easy to set up and maintain.
\n* It helps you complete all your required tasks well.<\/p>\n
So thinking outside of the box (and the wishes of the software
\nindustry), here are a few things you can do with your old,
\ndilapidated, personal computer.<\/p>\n
File Server: Ever dream about home networking? Want a secure
\nexternal backup for your PC's data files? You can use old 386 or
\n486 boxes (the latter recommended) as a file server, for storing
\ncomputer data from your PC or for sharing them over the network.<\/p>\n
Junior no longer needs to give you a floppy disk that contains
\nhis homework for you to check, all he has to do is save it into a
\nfolder on the server. You can then collaborate on the document
\ntogether as you would in the corporate world.<\/p>\n
You can also use the server to store your MP3 music so you can
\naccess it via the home network. There is specialized digital
\nmusic players such as the AudioTron (audiotron.net) that can play
\nyour entire MP3 library, nonstop, at the push of a button.
\nSimply connect it to the network, attach high-fidelity speakers
\nand play.<\/p>\n
In addition, you could share printers, scanners and other
\nperipherals via the network. Instead of running downstairs to
\nprint the color copy of your document on your children's
\ncomputer, you can simply route it via the server so everyone on
\nthe network can share the facilities.<\/p>\n
It may take some studying, but you can use the Open Source and
\nfreely downloadable Linux Operating System to network your home.
\nA small distribution of Linux (such as Vector Linux at
\nibiblio.org\/vectorlinux\/) would be ideal for old personal
\ncomputers.<\/p>\n
Internet Server: Want to connect 2-3 computers into a single
\nInternet broadband connection? You can use the old computer box
\nto network your computers and channel them to your Internet
\nconnection. You would probably need 2 network cards (one to
\nconnect to the Internal network and the other to your cable
\nmodem) and specialized software, some of which is downloadable
\nfrom the Internet.<\/p>\n
You can also set up a web-&-mail server with these old
\ncomputers if you have a relatively permanent connection to the
\nweb. Although Internet Service Providers generally frown on this
\npractice, it is technically feasible.<\/p>\n
A working PC: Really! You could use these old computers to
\ntype letters, connect to the Internet or play games. There is
\nstill a treasure trove of old DOS (disk operating system)
\nprograms that can still be used today. If you can't find those
\nold DOS disks, download an Open Source alternative, such as
\nOpenDOS (deltasoft.com\/opendos.htm) or FreeDOS (freedos.org)<\/p>\n
You can even use a graphic user interface (GUI) system, such
\nas GEM (deltasoft.com), which has paint, mail and word processing
\napplications. These programs are enough to use for a small home
\noffice.<\/p>\n
If you want to share files between different operating
\nsystems, make sure you use a common file type, such as text files
\n(.TXT) for documents that can be opened by almost every kind of
\nword processor. Avoid using proprietary file formats (such as
\nMicrosoft Word's .DOC format) since you may have problems opening
\nthem with an alternative software application.<\/p>\n
Donate it!<\/p>\n
If you can't find any use for it, a lot of nongovernmental
\norganizations would probably love to have your old PCs. Try and
\nhave the computer ready to use (providing the true meaning of
\nplug and play) so they can immediately use it towards their
\norganizational goals.<\/p>\n
You've seen the new ads in the paper or various magazines
\nintroducing the latest and greatest computer processors: \"Buy now
\nwith more power and memory!\". The problem is that most of us
\ndon't really need these fast and furious machines. Unless we are
\nediting high-intensity graphics or videos, playing the latest
\ngames or designing a building, the old Pentium 1 PC should be
\nenough for our own needs.<\/p>\n
Don't be surprised to find that some computer hardware has a
\nvery long operating life. The computers in the Voyager and
\nPioneer space probes that were launched in the 70s are still
\nrunning today. Remember, your digital wristwatch probably has
\nmore computing power than those of the space explorers combined!<\/p>",
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