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Ask Slashdot: How To Donate Older Computers to Charity?
yanom writes "My school gave me several circa-2006 computers with no operating system. I fixed them up, and now they run Lubuntu fairly well, making them great internet/LibreOffice/general Linux workstations. I've been wanting to donate them to local nonprofits where they'll go to good use — for example, I've already given several to a local church for them to use in their afterschool care/tutoring program. However, I'm having trouble finding other places where these machines could go to good use. How should I best conduct this search? How can I find nonprofits that could benefit from these workstations?"
Your kind of thought process is exactly the problem. A P4 system is perfectly usable given the correct software configuration, and as timothy already stated they're working well enough running Lubuntu to be a basic word processing/information device. Just because it's not the newest technology doesn't mean it's trash. There are plenty of people out there who would be perfectly well served by a basic computer that can run a web browser to look up information, and type up emails on it.
I applaud your altruism; but I've done the same kind of thing in the past, and regretted it.
Not to be too paranoid, but please make sure you've got all your paperwork in order, (you have to right to pass on the PCs etc.), and explicitly state 'no warranty' etc. What if one of the PCs catches fire, and burns down the old folks home you donated it to? Yeah, I know I sound nuts, be we live in a crazy world.
Oh yes, and regarding support. They'll drive you nuts. Really.
Junk the things and just give some cash to a worthy cause.
Fuck that. In about a year WinXP will no longer get security updates, so you'd be handing the recipients a ticking bomb unless they're kept off the Internet.
Install a distro with an easy UI like Mint-MATE and they'll do just fine, really.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
You are right that the general public isn't comfortable using Linux. Unfortunately, you falsely imply that they are comfortable using Windows. The vast majority of people who would be in a position to go to a library or Non-Profit don't know the difference. Point them to the little icon that launches firefox and/or chromium and not only is it true that they couldn't care less if it is Linux or Windows, it is also true that they have no idea that it isn't Windows.
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
Even charities have minimum needs/standars for computers.
Nonsense. Those Goodwill boxes will take anything. I regularly put my old broken appliances, worn out VHS tapes, empty soda cans, used toilet paper, etc. in them late at night and I've never once heard them complain about it.
Your political party doesn't care about your rights and only represents corporate interests.
Nothing plays flash video smoothly, and flash is proud of that.
1) Find a charity you despise
2) Throw computer through window