What to do with a spare "computer"

What to do with a spare "computer"

Tobias Dammers

Member #2,604

August 2002

I have a spare "computer" - a Wyse WinTerm, originally intended as a thin-client for RDP-client-like usage, but it's basically a complete x86 PC. Feature rundown:

Single-core CPU, probably something 1 GHz-ish
512 MB SSD
3 USB ports
working wireless card in the PC-card extension slot
ethernet port
completely silent (no moving parts)

I've successfully installed a basic debian system (without X11 - it might fit, but space is going to be extremely tight then); previously, it ran XP embedded (which is an abomination worse than XP proper). So now I'm wondering what to do with it. Some ideas:

Hook up one or more external HDDs, and use it as a fileserver (for backups), replacing the current clamshell ibook solution (which is horribly noisy but otherwise works fine)
Set up a bunch of local network services, like a DNS cache, VPN server, or even just a machine suitable for ssh tunneling from elsewhere
Connect it to the stereo for internet radio and such, maybe even add a dvd drive so I can skip the "operation prohibited by disc" crap
Hook up a KVM switch (just for the keyboard) and use it as an extra text terminal into my development machine at work
Or anything else that comes to mind

Discuss!

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Me make music: Triofobie
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"We need Tobias and his awesome trombone, too." - Johan Halmén

Neil Walker

Member #210

April 2000

buy some wood and build a MAME cabinet.

Neil.
MAME Cabinet Blog / AXL LIBRARY (a games framework) / AXL Documentation and Tutorial

wii:0356-1384-6687-2022, kart:3308-4806-6002. XBOX:chucklepie

blargmob

Member #8,356

February 2007

Neil Walker said:

buy some wood and build a MAME cabinet.

Was going to suggest the exact same thing.

Get your hands on several thousand ROMs across several emus and build a cabinet for it.

I've always wanted to do this :'(

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"No amount of prayer would have produced the computers you use to spread your nonsense." Arthur Kalliokoski

Johan Halmén

Member #1,550

September 2001

Search for SETI.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Years of thorough research have revealed that the red "x" that closes a window, really isn't red, but white on red background.

Years of thorough research have revealed that what people find beautiful about the Mandelbrot set is not the set itself, but all the rest.

Neil Black

Member #7,867

October 2006

Donate to me for my ever-dreamed-of project of building my own large cluster computer.

torhu

Member #2,727

September 2002

Blow it up and post the video on youtube

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Smokin' Guns - spaghetti western FPS action

Bob Keane

Member #7,342

June 2006

What do you do with a spare computer? What do you do with a spare computer? What do you do with a spare computer? Throw it in the ocean. Yee ha up she rises. Yee ha up she rises. Yee ha up she rises. Early in the morning.

By reading this sig, I, the reader, agree to render my soul to Bob Keane. I, the reader, understand this is a legally binding contract and freely render my soul.
"Love thy neighbor as much as you love yourself means be nice to the people next door. Everyone else can go to hell. Missy Cooper.
The advantage to learning something on your own is that there is no one there to tell you something can't be done.

Phrasz

Member #10,091

August 2008

WAREZ Server...duh.

On a more serious note: VPN server.
That's your most promising option if you trust no one. Having the ability to properly encrypt your information and "browse from home" is more useful, and more likely to operate the best with your current configuration.

Arthur Kalliokoski

Second in Command

February 2005

If you can't think of anything you'd want to do with it yourself, give it to some bright young kid in the neighborhood who doesn't have one.

They all watch too much MSNBC... they get ideas.

Desmond Taylor

Member #11,943

May 2010

Arthur Kalliokoski said:

If you can't think of anything you'd want to do with it yourself, give it to some bright young kid in the neighborhood who doesn't have one.

And introduce him/her to allegro.cc

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Tobias Dammers

Member #2,604

August 2002

Arthur Kalliokoski said:

If you can't think of anything you'd want to do with it yourself, give it to some bright young kid in the neighborhood who doesn't have one.

It's not that I can't think of anything, it's more that I can't decide.

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Me make music: Triofobie
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"We need Tobias and his awesome trombone, too." - Johan Halmén

weapon_S

Member #7,859

October 2006

Can't decide? I'm not sure about the technical details, but couldn't you supposedly get at least three out of four possibilities at once? F.I. Fileserver-Mediaplayer-text terminal?
(Unless you're planning on using that all at once :-X )

Yes well, legibility and correct punctuation might not be "street"... but that's how I roll, motherfucker. -Edward.
Yes it sounds more authoritative to invoke some cute phrase every few sentences, but it doesn't actually make an argument any more impressive. Matthew Leverton

Samuel Henderson

Member #3,757

August 2003

I was going to suggest turning it into a NAS, but I like the MAME cabinet idea better

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Paul whoknows: Why is this thread still open?
Onewing: Because it is a pthread: a thread for me to pee on.

Tobias Dammers

Member #2,604

August 2002

The text terminal only really makes sense at work, because at home, I'm perfectly happy with what I have.
I could certainly combine fileserver + VPN/ssh server + media player. I think that's what it's going to boil down to.

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Me make music: Triofobie
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"We need Tobias and his awesome trombone, too." - Johan Halmén

William Labbett

Member #4,486

March 2004

What about http://www.mersenne.org/

I ran a machine 24/7 for three months in order to determine whether 2 to the power of some large exponent /* EDIT */ -1! was prime or not. It wasn't as one would expect.