The Top Ten Concepts For Beginning Linux Users - Number 7, Runs On Obsolete Computers

When it comes to the environment do you want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem? If you don't want to be part of the problem avoid tossing that supposedly outdated computer onto a landfill. Did you know that your outcast computer remains will take decades to biodegrade and leach scads of poisonous chemicals into the environment during the process?



Several years ago the Utah Department of Environmental Quality estimated that by 2004 more than 300 million computers would be considered obsolete, generating well over 1 billion pounds of lead, 2 million pounds of cadmium, 1 million pounds of chromium, and 400,000 pounds of mercury. Municipal incineration is the largest point source of dioxins into the US and Canadian environments and among the largest sources of heavy metal contamination of the atmosphere. Of course the year 2004 is long gone, and these horrible numbers have undoubtedly been far surpassed in spite of efforts such as corporate trade-in programs.



Why do people toss their computers? That's simple; given the computer industry's unending performance advances many believe that they can no longer DO anything worthwhile with their old computers. This dangerous assumption is simply not true.



Do you really need Giga-everythings to get your work done and have your fun? Microsoft seems to think so. I remember when 128 Megabytes was a lot of memory. I also remember when "Why would anyone ever need more than 640 Kilobytes of memory?" was the official party line expressed by none other than William Gates III himself.



I'm told that Damn Small Linux requires only 50 Megabytes of disk space, a 486 processor (do you remember what that is?) and 8 Megabytes of RAM. If you want to browse the Internet, you'll have to move up to 16 Megabytes of RAM and use the Dillo browser. The popular Firefox browser will require additional memory. Frankly, I wouldn't use such an underpowered computer for moderate or heavy Internet usage. But you can run Linux commands and learn how operating systems work on such computers. And you can play a multitude of games.



For every individual trying to resuscitate a 486 computer there are dozens trying to know what to do with an old Pentium such as my Pentium III 450 Megahertz computers with 128 Megabytes of memory purchased in 1999 or more powerful computers purchased several years later. Without extensive upgrades many of these computers won't run Windows Vista and may not run Windows XP. But they will run Damn Small Linux or other Linux versions and also a full range of today's applications. Let's put them to work, learn Linux, and do our bit saving the environment.



We next see how Linux lets you control the computer, whether it is "obsolete" or not.





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Over the years Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet. As you can tell from his wine websites including www.theitalianwineconnection.com he is quite a fan of fine wine, but always in moderation. He teaches various and sundry computer courses including Linux and Windows operating systems at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his new website http://www.linux4windows.com teaching you how to download and run Damn Small Linux even on that outdated Windows computer which has been gathering dust in the basement.