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If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

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Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#161

Post by kbutler »

jkepler wrote: post #152
horsawlarway wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have a need and you already own it - knock yourself out. But comparing spending 40 bucks on craigslist or ebay for an old pentium/core 2 duo, vs getting an rpi... You're probably better off with the Pi (assuming you can source it, which is not a given atm). I don't even buy most of mine used, I just get hand-me-downs from friends/family because they want to get rid of the machine and ask me to wipe the drive i…

Helpful thought process, as I've defaulted for a while to older machines I have around, but now I question how much power they're drawing. I've never really considered power more than how long do my laptop batteries last. Do you have any pointers what sort of equipment to use to measure the power draw? Are you simply measuring it from a UPS?

You can use a device like the kill-a-watt to measure actual consumption: https://www.amazon.com/P3-International-P4460-Electricity-Mo...

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#162

Post by ciupicri »

AstixAndBelix wrote: post #41

When I really think about the kinds of things I find essential in a computer, almost everything could be achieved with a TUI or a very light GUI. Unfortunately, the problem of proprietary software and APIs is always around the corner. I can use a TUI client for Telegram, but I can't if I want to message someone on Facebook. I can use a simple newsreader for blogs, but I can't for my friends' Instagram posts. I could…

What Telegram client are you using?

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#163

Post by ezconnect »

harel wrote: post #147
contravariant wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I still think it's wild how much data can fit on a microSD nowadays. People would think you were crazy if you told them just a few decades ago.

it's more than wild man. It's magical! Just yesterday or the day before my 700KB or so Amiga floppy seemed like it would last forever...

We now have 1TB microSD cards.

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#164

Post by cellularmitosis »

tambourine_man wrote: post #25

Something that aged poorly are browsers. Can you run contemporary Chromium, Firefox, WebKit decently on a 800mhz G4? And I doubt it could handle more than a few open tabs with 512MB of RAM. Most everything else I use computers for have been fast enough for 20 years or so.

The best current option is InterWebPPC. https://github.com/wicknix/InterWebPPC

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#165

Post by nextos »

harel wrote: post #127

You're only using 61 MB of your 512 MB RAM. Megabyte. I love it. Megabyte. I distinctly remember the happiness of attaching a 512KB RAM expansion card to my Amiga, bringing total RAM to 1MB. You have 512 of those!

Any Linux distribution that can be configured to be minimal (e.g. NixOS, Arch Linux, etc.) can boot a mainstream stack (systemd + pulseaudio + Xorg + tiling window manager) in less than 300 MB RAM. It's a great experience. I use an old NUC (i5-4250U) as a daily driver and it's almost as fast as a new machine for regular tasks, it feels like the OP's.

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#166

Post by cellularmitosis »

ellyagg wrote: post #153

> Because frankly the iMac wasn't really useful in a modern or a retro sense, though I expect some will debate its retro merits. Can it run OS 9 natively? The earliest iMac G4 could, I've heard. I bought a Mac G4 a couple years ago so I could have the most powerful computer that runs Mac OS 9 natively which then enables me to run Symantec's MORE. MORE is this ancient, super dope outliner editor, which is just so fast…

> the iMac wasn't really useful in a modern or a retro sense

I've been trying to fight that a bit myself: https://github.com/cellularmitosis/leopard.sh

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#167

Post by busterarm »

prmoustache wrote: post #68
busterarm wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest things that OpenBSD doesn't support (well) are Bluetooth, some wifi cards and TPM modules. And you can literally fix all of these issues with a supported USB device. Been running OpenBSD on multiple generations of Thinkpad laptops without issue. Using the Protectli 6 port device as an OpenBSD router (Intel NICs are well-supported).

Add to that bluetooth is generally a mess. The only thing where it is vaguely useful is for audio and I believe you can still use a bluetooth audio transceiver such as the Creative BT-W3 that present itself as a usb audio interface to the OS if you really want to connect those audio headphones of yours.

That's exactly the device I was referring to and what I do. :)

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#168

Post by harel »

ezconnect wrote: post #163
harel wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it's more than wild man. It's magical! Just yesterday or the day before my 700KB or so Amiga floppy seemed like it would last forever...

We now have 1TB microSD cards.

I still finding it hard to trust 1TB worth of important data stored in that medium. I'm half joking but still, only half joking. The other half is dead serious.

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#169

Post by ipcress_file »

primis wrote: post #72
horsawlarway wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It still makes sense to use a decade-old computer. I don't really think it does, at least not some of them. A lot of those older machines are just running really, really high idle power draw. Ex: Pentium 4/5, Core 2 Duo, Athlon64, etc. Running from 40 to 100 watts idle. For comparison, a new RPI will go as low as ~1-3 watt idle, tops out at ~5-7 watts under full load, and will generally have better performance char…

A decade ago was 2013, the pentium 4 is at least 13 years old now, but entered production 23 years ago. There's still a lot of utility to be had from a 10 year old machine. My daily driver laptop os a lenovo t420 which came out in 2011. Sure it can't play games but it'll do fine with youtube, programming, etc. My server box is also a 2012 era machine, it's a 3770k build. It's perfectly fine for what I use it for. Yea…

Correct. You need to go back another 10 years to get to the Pentium 4. I bought my P4-M laptop new in early 2003.

Re: If you're happy with OpenBSD, probably any computer is good enough

#170

Post by NovaPenguin »

pdimitar wrote: post #6

The problem with arguments like these is to me two-fold: 1. Physical space. Most of the older tech takes too much space. I don't live in a mansion and I have no dedicated rooms just for big bulky computers. 2. Power consumption, heat, noise. I would love to be less consumerist and use stuff from 15 years ago and stop feeding greedy corporations but... the old stuff consumes 90 to 200 watts, heats up easily and notice…

My White Whale... the Dual 2Ghz PowerMac G5 I bought for $50. Sure it took months until I finally figured out how to get the OS to install properly. Having to delve into the patch work of information on Open Firmware and even then I am not entirely sure how I did it.

And in the end I was left with a machine that ran well over 300 watts to do what a Raspberry Pi4 can easy do in well under 5 watts. I should have known, I was there when the 1st Intel Mac Mini came along running as fast as these things on launch - I knew they were a slouch even then. I should have known better.

Eventually something went wrong with the power supply and I ended up scrapping everything but the case which now has my PC mounted in it.

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