I just noticed the recent discussion about an offer of an old computer.
Please respond directly to me at my work address <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, and not the entire list, if you'd like to comment, or request more information about computer reuse in Phila.
The nonprofit where I work, Nonprofit Technology Resources <http://www.ntronline.org> has been reusing old computers since 1996, when I first became involved as a volunteer rebuilding donated computers. I've been involved off and on with NTR ever since, and am currently NTR's grant writer.
NTR has just opened a Computer Thrift Store, where you can find all kinds of computer parts and complete systems on the cheap. We're at 1524 Brandywine St, Phila, just north of Spring Garden, 215-564-6686.
Even the oldest Pentiums are still welcome as donations at NTR. The slowest ones, less than 166 MHz, are set up mostly as beginners' machines, with children's games and no Internet. But last summer the United Methodist Church (women's international program I think) bought about 200 of these machines for the Click-Aid program to send to the Republic of Tonga. This program also serves a number of African countries, including Madagascar I believe.
NTR accepts most computer equipment that is no older than Pentium I, including Macs, printers and other peripherals. Most equipment does not have to be in working order -- except for monitors, because we have to pay to dispose of nonworking monitors.
Working monitors are welcome except for the really ancient ones that connected to XT, 286 and 386 vintage PCs. PC monitors of VGA and SVGA type (this includes any monitor that has three rows of pins on the data connector) are acceptable if in working condition.
My job includes soliciting cash gifts from foundations, corporations and individuals to support Free Computer workshops for organizations that serve children from low-income households. If you represent a group that is already providing technical training and support to disadvantaged children in your community, I would be happy to collaborate with you on a project to supply free computers to your students.
Until recently I had a 90MHz Pentium I running Windows 95 with 48MB RAM connected to my home network. I found that its limited processing speed and memory did not prevent it from being quite useful for receiving email and surfing the web, especially when surfing my Verizon DSL connection through my network.
On those occasions when my network admin (me) was tinkering with the network, this machine served as a reliable backup access to the Internet, using my trusty old US Robotics external 28.8 speed modem (half the speed of the 56K modems that are most used today).
My feeling is that the speed of your Internet connection, and your choice of operating system, are much more important than any of those other factors in determining the usefulness of a computer system. As long as you don't try to run a too-recent version of Windows on a too-old computer, you can do a lot with old hardware.
My old 486, and even my first computer, a 1987-vintage XT, could interact perfectly well with my electric piano and could make it do everything that I could reasonably expect of it, given the constraints of my limited musical talent.
I haven't experimented with "thin clients" but I know that some of NTR's customers have set up computer labs in which one powerful computer made a roomful of antique computers surf the Internet and run word processing apps at respectable speeds.
If you'd like to know more about me personally, check out my web site <http://www.geocities.com/dbut53/>. I haven't gotten around to moving my web pages to my new domain, but someday soon I'll be at <http://dbut.net>. I'm an undergrad in Drexel's Computing Technology program, a Saturday Scholars offering, where I'm preparing myself for a bunch of computer industry certifications, such as MCSA-MCSE and Oracle. So far I've gotten one of the Oracle certs, as well as A+ Technician, Network+ and Security+.
I live in Roxborough now, after a decade or so in Germantown, but before that I had three different addresses in University City (48th above Balt, 4417 Balt and finally the castle at 4401 Balt on Clark Park). I still visit a few of my old pals in that neighborhood, although it's been many years since I whacked a volleyball or sacrificed a pawn in Clark Park.
Again, please communicate with me privately and not via this mailing list, using my business address <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, which is not subscribed to this list. Any mail sent to the address <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> that I use to subscribe to my dozens of mailing lists is more likely to go unnoticed.
Dave Butler <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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At 09:11 PM 11/28/2004, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I have a desktop computer that's been sitting in my office that I'm willing to give to a non-profit organization or, in absence of takers, sell to somebody for a very nominal price.
Its a Hewlett Packard Pentium I, 48 mb RAM, about 6 gb hard drive space and runs
Windows 95. I reformatted the hard drive so there's only factory-issued stuff
on there.
Yes, its a bit old, but if you can make use of it, please email me offline.
Steve ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>.
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