hardware recycling

[Evan Leibovitch]

Colin McGregor wrote:
> No, we seem to have hit something of a plateau for now. Hardware is NOT being rendered obsolete as
> quickly as times gone by. So what if the newest CPU chip will make MS-Word (or other MS trash) run 50%
> faster, it will not make a secretary type any faster, a fact well understood by most businesses. Thus
> organizations like the one I am with have been seeing fewer donations.
>   
I've noticed this as well. It seems that desktop systems -- especially 
those not doing multimedia -- long ago outran their operators' ability 
to use them.

I also agree with Colin's comments about Vista, which will obsolete a 
lot of computers that most people will instinctively know have lots of 
life left.

Is this an opportunity for Linux? Or will people will hang onto XP even 
longer than they held onto Win95 and Win98? (I don't know anyone who 
held onto NT.)

> What is also happening is that new hardware costs for a decent performing new boxes is dropping, so the residual value on old boxes has been going through the floor.
>   
So does that mean that slightly old but perfectly functioning OS-less 
PCs are available at REALLY cheap rates? I assumed that many donators to 
places like Reboot have already written off their gear and are thankful 
for anything they get. What's the going rate for a vanilla P3 system 
with decent video?

> Yes, this past weekend I was helping sort through over 1,500 PCs donated to the Toronto Free-Net separating
> out the not-so-good from the total trash (there were some '386SX boxes and '486 boxes among the machines
> donated, machines whose value can be measured in the cents per lb. the Free-Net can get from a scrap metal
> dealer...).
Do you do like Portland's FreeGeek, extracting the easily-separated 
precious metals? They make significant coin by performing the first 
phase of the scrap/salvage operation. Volunteers get free PCs in return 
for contributing time.

> Things MAY change post the release of MS Vista, assuming MS can convince (do a snow job on?) a large
> number of firms that the hardware demands of Vista are worth meeting. I doubt even MS's marketing department
> can convince enough firms to go to Vista to make a major change. As stands, for the foreseeable future
> hardware recycling is a bad business, one to stay away from and a business I want out of...
>   
I still really wish that someone could figure out how to tap the 
marketable potential of these boxes as LTSP thin clients.

- Evan

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