I have an old Silicon Graphics Indy workstation with a 150MHz MIPS R5000 processor and 64 Megabytes of RAM. I have installed Debian 4.0 (Etch) on it. It now sits unused on my desk.

The problem is that I don't know what to do with this machine. I can't think of any use for it. And here's why: The RAM is limited. I can upgrade it to 256MB of RAM, but that won't be happening anytime soon due to availability and cost. I also don't have a monitor for this machine, owing to its bizarre 13W3 monitor connector. So I'm forced to use this machine either via serial console or ssh/telnet session. Either way, a bash console is what I'm pretty much limited to.

I have considered setting this machine up as a server, but I already have a server that does everything I need -- and for the time being, everything that I want. So it just wouldn't be practical to set the Indy up as a server when I have no need for an additional server of any sort.

I have considered setting the Indy up as an email client, but that's not really practical either. I would be limited to a console based email client like mutt on the Indy, and my main use machine already handles all of my email needs in grand style.

I have considered setting the Indy up as a firewall/router, but it only has one NIC. I would need at least two NICs if I wanted to use the Indy as any type of effective router/firewall.

I really like the Indy and don't want to toss it to the trash with all of my Macs. I like the jazzy startup sound that it makes. I like the interesting blue case that it is housed in. I like the industrial look of its rear panel (it has a nice ass. lol) If I ever manage to track down Irix, I would like to install it on the Indy. I really like Irix.

In the meantime, I would like to get some use out of this little blue box from Mountain View, California. Any ideas?

Use it to play nethack?

Use it as a server of some sort. sftp, ftp, they dont take much.... http if u don't have a very popular site.... or seti@home, or one of the million other @homes.... nethack is cool though. I play angband...

or sell it on ebay....or send me the processor for my collect ;-)

ZyMOS

Of course, Mr Scrotum doesn't actually have a need for that workstation either, never mind an additional server, so it's not really a great argument. Anyway, it could be used as a failover for one of the others if nothing else.

... I'm playing Vulture's Eye.

This is true. I don't really have a "need" for this workstation, but I do have a "want" for it. Eventually I will get a monitor for it and max out the RAM. At that time, I will want to run IRIX 6.5.x on it.

In the meantime, I have Debian 4.0 installed on it and would like to get some use out of it. A failover DNS server sounds like an interesting idea. As it stands now, I have only one DNS server. If its down for any reason, I have to resort to remembering IP addresses for the machines on my LAN.

I'm not much of a game player. I actually don't have any games installed on my main machine at the present time.

I looked into seti@home a while back, but the Indy is just too slow for their "wants" or "needs" unforunately. You'd think that they'd be open to any processing power they could get, but that apparently isn't the case.

Thanks for the suggestions.

... then don't start with nethack man, it's a slippery slope.