Slashdot Mirror
A Different Take On PC Manus' 'Recycling' Schemes
Timex writes "Linux Devices is reporting that the COO of Linux startup Symbio Technologies, Roger Del Russo, claims that the recycling programs of Dell and HP are nothing more than a means of getting older systems out of use, to be replaced by newer systems. Mr Del Russo then makes the case for putting the older systems to good use as thin clients, using the Linux Terminal Server Project."
Does anyone else read that article as "Hey! What they're doing is evil and they're just trying to get more money out of you, but...... We can SELL you a service that allows you to use your old boxes for other stuff!" ?
Sure, you can use PINE or tin on an older PC without problems. Sure, you can try and shift the computing and processing burden away from the (thin) client. That, however, won't make the end users happy. They are accustomed to a certain level of usability, both regarding speed and user interface. People just plain don't want to deal with anything other - or less - than what they're used to.
So, whilst there are still applications for older systems as thin clients you're mostly limited to situations where your intended user base simply doesn't have a choice. As soon as they're paying for it or depending on your it for their daily work most people just won't accept being forced to use an old computer. They want their new, shiny PC and their sexy, modern LCD screen.
I say to "shaft" companies like Dell\HP start community projects to refurbish old PCs is good working order. You could install a simple Linux distribution such as Mandrake on them. Then, give them out to underprivileged children. Just a thought, would be quite an undertaking.
Of course they want you to upgrade, the question is what becomes of the old computers. My understanding is that the vast majority of computers donated are nearly worthless to schools because they cannot run any modern programs. These computers are only good as thin clients and most non-profits don't have a thin client setup. If his proposed arrangement takes off, NPO's could specifically say:Give us your old hardware. Until then, I'm glad OEM's are disposing of the systems properly (assuming they aren't just shipping them off to China or something).
Uhm... that sounds kind of like X-Windows...
"surely if they were sold they'd be 100% recycled"
Reuse, Repair, Recycle.
> the recycling programs of Dell and HP are nothing
> more than a means of getting older systems out of
> use, to be replaced by newer systems
Exactly what did he expect these recycling programs are for? Of course they're primarily a means to sell new systems!
If a company has a bunch of HP/Dell PCs that are about to reach their end-of-life, they can either arrange the disposal themselves or give them back to the vendor to dispose of. Many companies will offer the PCs to their employees for a very low cost, and some of these employees will take them, put Linux on them and give them to charity. Maybe the company has someone on staff that acts as a focal point for charitable distribution of these PCs (as well as new stuff); if so, that person may take on the role of coordinating that sort of work.
***If this is "all too hard" for the company, and they just want to get rid of the old PCs without being accused of screwing up the environment by dumping them somewhere***, they're free to give them back to Dell/HP who'll dispose of them. Some companies see this as a useful thing; they've got a problem (disposal of a bunch of PCs without screwing the environment) and Dell/PC will take care of the problem for them. That's called a "competitive advantage".
Here's news: there's no fleet of people at Dell/HP who call up every charity in the world trying to dispose of old PCs 24x7! There may be a few people who take the role on themselves, but there's no way a few people can dispose of thousands of old PCs on an ongoing basis in their spare time.
It's *not* trivial to donate these PCs; among other things, either they have to arrange for MS to transfer the OS licence to some unknown recipient (unlikely), or they have to arrange a workforce to format discs, install e.g. Linux on them and then train whoever it is these PCs are going to be given to. Strangely, neither Dell or HP feel it is their role to act as unpaid Linux trainers for the world's underprivileged! Finally, if a charity receives a free PC from Dell/HP, there's at least an implied support arrangement there - when that old clunker of a PC breaks down, who's gonna get called?
If Slashdot or any other organization wants to form a group of people who will take these PCs, reformat them, install Linux, donate them to the world's charities and provide support afterwards, I'm sure Dell and HP would be very happy to hear about it. After all, that group would then be solving a problem Dell and HP have - how to dispose of the PCs. Do that; the world will benefit from it and probably vendors other than Dell and HP will want to jump on board too. If not, then find something real to complain about.
you are an idiot, your questionaire has little grounding in the social sciences, as for the second amendment you forgot this part:
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state...
With respect to the US, I'd say universal health care is much more a human right worth fighting for than the ability to possess a deadly weapon.
If that sounds cynical, I'm sorry. But it's true: corporations work for profit, and as far as I can see the only reason a corporation would want to recycle PCs is to get new ones out on the market. NO OTHER REASON.
"wrong."
Every manager worth my salary (which is really setting the bar low) knows the axiom "it takes a lifetime to win a customer, a second to lose one." By doing things that are altruistic and aware of what their customers value, corporations can avoid protests and boycotts--and even "I'll go with your competitor, they anger me less."
There is a certain dollar cost that we subconciously attribute to our values, and if a corportation offends our values, we'll look for an alternative whose cost of switching is less than the cost of our values.
A great theoretical example of this is cars. Many imports sell for about $2,000 less than American cars--but the American cars still sell, because "buy American" has a value cost of more than $2,000 for a lot of people. (Not to mention a slew of other reasons that I'm purposefully glossing over.)
You gave them a computer. But a single pair of ink jet cartridges costs $50-$60. That makes printing a luxury. Dial-up Internet is $10/mo + line charges. Difficult for a low-income family that may have only "Life-Line" metered phone service. Is it so surprising they want to play the few budget line games they can afford?