[Gllug] Small rant

[Richard Cohen]

On 08/11/05, John Hearns <john.hearns at streamline-computing.com> wrote:
> I've had this rant recently on GLLUG.
> And apologies in advance to people currently discussing running Linux on
> older systems and old laptops. It is fun, and it is a good learning
> experience. Do not let me put you off!
>
> But, but what IS this thing with 'Linux is good for rescuing
> old/dead/underpowered/free hardware?'
> Sorry to say it - we've come a LOONNGG way in the last few years.

I think the problem here is that you, and I, and many of us here, know
that it's quite possible to run Linux on an older machine and do
something useful with it, it's an appalling way to sell Linux to new
people.  There is a lot of hype around "you can rescue old machines
with Linux" which simply doesn't stand up once inexperienced people
try to do just that.

Given an old (say, low 100s MHz) machine, I'm quite capable of making
a fileserver, router/firewall, thin-ish client, etc. etc. out of it -
but Freddie who just read an article in USA Today which says you can
rescue old PCs with Linux and grabs the 486 his kid's school is
throwing out is going to be sorely disappointed once he tries to run
KDE/GNOME and OpenOffice.org on it.  Unfortunately, Freddie doesn't
just try Linux and decide that no, you can't run a current-technology
desktop on a 10-year-old computer - he tells all his friends that
Linux sucks.

Okay, massive overgeneralisation... My point is that while we all know
that Linux can be used on older (not necessarily ancient/obselete)
machines and can be useful there - and have realistic expectations and
know how to fulfil them - it doesn't mean that it's easy or
'mainstream' - and it certainly isn't a good way to promote Linux. 
Honestly, one of the hardest things for non-techies (i.e. my parents)
to get about computers is that no, you cannot just keep using it with
current software until it breaks.  For a long time, people were fed
with metaphors like "the software is like a video cassette, and the
hardware is like the VCR" which just doesn't stand up - yes, your
computer bought 5 years ago will keep running the same software until
it dies, but you can't just put today's software in it and expect it
to work - they honestly don't see the difference between today's beige
box and one from 5 years ago.  We see inside the box, all they see is
beige :-)

Yes, more overgeneralisation...

Cheers
Richard
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