Green uses for older Macs

"Hi Richard--What I usually do is refurbish them and find appropiate OS and browsers for them and one of the free word processors. I then download the users manual and give them to kids who can't afford them. I used to do this with windows machines but it got to expensive buying the OS's from Microsoft and I find the older Mac OS's very reasonable. I don't want to start kids out as pirates so every computer go with the software that's loaded on it. I'll be passing on a nice Pismo with 512 MB memory and a 40 GB drive with Panther this week to an 8 yr old. On occasion I pass on some old crt iMacs to a local home for unwed mothers to be used in training them for employment. I find the biggest problem just now with the older machines is finding usable browsers.

As a hobby I feel its a useful way to spend my time a give back a little. Sorry to be so long winded but this is a subject that's important to me--anyway its an answer to your question. Ralph

+ on the question. Ralph"

"95% of what most people use a computer for hasn't changed since the TRS-80 first hit the market. Folks want word processing, spreadsheets, and a fun game or two. Your older machines can still do all of this.

Additionally, you can give them to high school science clubs, electronics classes, or even art classes. Those machines make great teaching tools when kids are allowed to do tear-downs and such. As a kid I used to tear apart anything and everything I could get my hands on. Doing so gave me a real passion for tinkering.

Hope this helps,

Jessica"

"Here's a GREAT use for Apple IIs that I just ran across:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j622EyPX6..."

"I work with a friend in his project, which is called ""The More Than Tomorrow Project"" and what we do is we fix old broken computers, usually install Windows XP, or Ubuntu onto the machines, and send them off to india where computers are scarse there. I think the best usage of old computers that we no longer have use for is to fix anything broken inside of it, and give it to people who need it. Also my friend gives to the local community by giving computers to some people who need it, teaching classes (which I helped to teach) to kids and adults on how to take apart and diagnose computers (and their problems).

So in the end, if I were you, I would see if there was an organization near you that does the same, or if you are in the NYC area, you can donate it to him."

"We sometimes refurbish windows boxes (linux too) and give to a school for autistic kids. Mostly we get the machines from a local company that uses them to render animations. When they frie a graphic card or a power supply they don't bother repairing them so they give them to us.

OK, slightly off topic, but there are a lot of uses for older computers."

Well, you could make teardowns, and repair guides on them. I have an Old Macintosh IIsi, as well as a LC II, and LC III that I am currently making repair guides for.