Well, if IT in your area is hell, then you need to quit bothering staying in the field and choose a field that you CAN become employed in or move.
What do you need a file server for? So you can set up your own FTP site to share pirated software via your dial-up modem connection? The common household that might be donating their old computer to charity doesn't generally have a RAID compatible motherboard.
Most likely, you've already reached this point of becoming an IT dinosaur if you don't know how to set up RAID arrays and such. The IT pace is far beyond that.
You can go buy a couple PII boxes for almost nothing, check your local paper and quit whining because someone doesn't want to give it to you for free.
**Back to the average Joe and your false assumptions:
If someone doesn't have work, it DOES mean he doesn't want to work. Generally, he/she is unemployed because he/she refuses to take a job that isn't in their field. I personally would gladly take ANY legal job if it means feeding my wife and kids. If it's not my usual line of work then I'll do something to make money until I can get back into my field. That's not arrogance. That is providing for the family with the available means as opposed to being unable to provide for the family with means that are not available.
Yes, one can be productive on a computer with a dial-up connection. One can also be productive on a computer with no connection. But what are you going to do that is productive? You still need money to purchase software (unless of course you're downloading pirated software which amounts to stealing). You don't need a computer to read a book about coding, databases or whatever interests you although it may help later for implementing what you're learning, you can write algs, code, and trace without a machine. If you can afford to buy these books, you can afford to drop 100 bucks per old outdated system.
I've done my time in the spare bedroom with my 8 computer network testing this and experimenting with that, but guess what, I bought all those computers... and paid very little for most of them. People don't owe you anything for your ability to keep up with the IT field, so get off your ass and go to work (anywhere).
[ Reply to This ]
Personally, I think experimenting with computers is a good thing. Maybe it's not a feasible solution to a problem, but experimenting generates new ideas.
I see a lot of people saying "Oh, give your burnt out computer to the poor.". Well, if you want to be so generous with the poor, give them a computer that's worth having. Personally, I think giving a computer to someone that's too poor to buy it themself is a waste of a good computer. If they can't afford to buy the computer, they probably can't afford to access the internet, they certainly can't afford to buy any software for it, essentially all they get out of it is the ability to have a very large free paperweight that allows them to play solitaire when they don't feel like working to buy a real computer.
If you have a computer to donate, I think this would be the perfect type of program to donate it to, at least it will get used and people may even learn something from it.
Slashdot Mirror
Well, if IT in your area is hell, then you need to quit bothering staying in the field and choose a field that you CAN become employed in or move. What do you need a file server for? So you can set up your own FTP site to share pirated software via your dial-up modem connection? The common household that might be donating their old computer to charity doesn't generally have a RAID compatible motherboard. Most likely, you've already reached this point of becoming an IT dinosaur if you don't know how to set up RAID arrays and such. The IT pace is far beyond that. You can go buy a couple PII boxes for almost nothing, check your local paper and quit whining because someone doesn't want to give it to you for free. **Back to the average Joe and your false assumptions: If someone doesn't have work, it DOES mean he doesn't want to work. Generally, he/she is unemployed because he/she refuses to take a job that isn't in their field. I personally would gladly take ANY legal job if it means feeding my wife and kids. If it's not my usual line of work then I'll do something to make money until I can get back into my field. That's not arrogance. That is providing for the family with the available means as opposed to being unable to provide for the family with means that are not available. Yes, one can be productive on a computer with a dial-up connection. One can also be productive on a computer with no connection. But what are you going to do that is productive? You still need money to purchase software (unless of course you're downloading pirated software which amounts to stealing). You don't need a computer to read a book about coding, databases or whatever interests you although it may help later for implementing what you're learning, you can write algs, code, and trace without a machine. If you can afford to buy these books, you can afford to drop 100 bucks per old outdated system. I've done my time in the spare bedroom with my 8 computer network testing this and experimenting with that, but guess what, I bought all those computers... and paid very little for most of them. People don't owe you anything for your ability to keep up with the IT field, so get off your ass and go to work (anywhere). [ Reply to This ]
Personally, I think experimenting with computers is a good thing. Maybe it's not a feasible solution to a problem, but experimenting generates new ideas. I see a lot of people saying "Oh, give your burnt out computer to the poor.". Well, if you want to be so generous with the poor, give them a computer that's worth having. Personally, I think giving a computer to someone that's too poor to buy it themself is a waste of a good computer. If they can't afford to buy the computer, they probably can't afford to access the internet, they certainly can't afford to buy any software for it, essentially all they get out of it is the ability to have a very large free paperweight that allows them to play solitaire when they don't feel like working to buy a real computer. If you have a computer to donate, I think this would be the perfect type of program to donate it to, at least it will get used and people may even learn something from it.