On Fri, 21 Mar 2014 07:37:39 -0400 ken <geb...@mousecar.com> wrote:
> I'm where you are, currently using a decades-old Dell Latitude with a > couple cracks in it and a non-working screen. It's plugged into an > old CRT monitor. Although, like yours, the battery lasts maybe > fifteen minutes, it's still good for when the power goes off > momentarily-- which happens four or five times a year. There's > enough cash in my checking to buy a new laptop, but I just haven't > gotten around to it. > > It's not going in the trash though. It's still good for a headless > linux box. Long ago I buffed it up with a big HD and 2G of RAM, the > cat5 and 802.11bg wifi still work, as do the two USB ports, DVD r/w. > I figure it would still be useful as a print- and scanner server... > and/or music server (the sound card is still fine), a sandbox > machine, and possibly for some other things. I might spray-paint it, > frame it, and hang it on the wall so it looks like art... even as it > continues to serve useful purposes. I'd love it if this old piece of > crap didn't make it into the landfill until after I do... maybe even > *long* after. > > Linux will never die. It just gets perpetually revised. Another excellent use for it is as an OpenBSD/pf firewall. Much less bulky than a desktop, uses less electricity than an average desktop, and in its normal operation you ssh into it so no keyboard or monitor is needed. http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/pf/ SteveT Steve Litt * http://www.troubleshooters.com/ Troubleshooting Training * Human Performance -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/20140321124441.29384669@mydesk
