It's good to hear from you again. But you know, a lot of that stuff you were hoarding was actually junk, so think of it as a tidying-up exercise.

Looking at it from the point of view that all I had was junk actually makes it easier to take the loss.
Now I have a plan what to keep, how much to keep and a periodic procedure to discard older unwanted items.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/miyolinux/

Here is another nice distro for older hardware.

Don't keep anything less than a dual core, it's not worth it, (even they are 'getting past it'). ;)

I used to use myolinux when he first brought it out, it's a good little distro. :)

https://www.iypt2019.org/

It is 150 years since the Birth of the Periodic Table. Mendleef was from St. Petersburg Russia

http://englishrussia.com/2014/08/28/...-of-chemistry/

http://english.spbu.ru/education/und...1673-chemistry

It is rather interesting that Lord has removed all the unwanted things in my life and giving me new contacts and special
resources that I need for the future.

One of my deep desires is to encourage Scientists and Engineers, specially Chemistry folks to combine science and visual arts.
They are both closely related.

These days, I am mostly doing art with the Crayola 152 pack:
https://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Ultim.../dp/B00CI6J3HA
This set I believe is for adults, no kid wishes to work with 152 colors.
I encourage the parents of children who bought this set to slowly try this out for themselves.
This is a very precious resource.
After showing my art work to different social workers finally I was able to manage to get an appointment tomorrow
with an art therapist. This is a restricted area, so I mostly am looking for exchange of ideas.
Down the road I even wish to write a book about art and science.

One social worker suggested that I keep a blog of my art efforts. All this means that I will need an old computer, linux and net again.
Will also need some means to take pictures of my artwork.
Last but not least, was told to get atleast a flip cell phone and use it with a sim card for pay as you go. This is vital for
emergency calls, specially to call 911 if ever the need arises.
Will leave all these for future consideration.

Wow, not many folks showed up for the art program, there were only 2 others, so was allowed to sign up for the art therapy program, this gave me access to all their art materials. The art therapist is super nice, friendly, helpful and professional. I did a few pieces of abstracts with acrylics and gouache. Feels nice to do some art with liquid media after nearly 2 months. The Art Therapist called me a production factory and laughed long. Sorry no pictures.
Wonder how I can take pictures, perhaps might need a camera or scanner, will reserve this for the future.
Art with Linux and Old computers is interesting for sure.

You should be able to pick up an old digital compact camera, just ask around - or maybe someones old smart phone, (but I'm not sure if all phones will allow you to download the photos easily).

There is a guy I chat with a lot locally recently, he gave this to me today in exchange for a Tim Hortons coffee that I will
sponsor for him in future:

The user is locked and am able to use this device but unable to change the password for it. It has 1Mb memory, more than enough
for me. Only thing is that there are a lot of vertical lines across the display, the display still works ok.
First time I have a Mac of my own, very interesting how things workout in life:
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/i...cd_2.0_20.html

Somehow old PCs seem to find me. This is a duocore but 32 bit.

Edited to add few more related links:
http://lowendmac.com/2006/imac-early-2006/
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac_Intel

That should keep you happy for a while! :)

Thanks. This iMac is locked in with super user account, I can use it for simple things but cant change much. Needs install CD
to restore to factory format, this I dont have. Doesn`t boot with other external media. So, only other option is to remove the HD, wipe it and install Linux on it. But if it doesn`t boot then it is bricked. Also, need to learn to open this thing. Will reflect more and see.

Careful about installing Linux on it, the Macs use a different boot loader system, if I remember right, you will need to check out the howtos.

Check this out - https://www.macworld.co.uk/how-to/ma...n-mac-3637265/

Thanks for that link. I need to research this well. This iMac doesn`t read anything other than ext2 filesystems. This is quite limiting.
This iMac is ok to use offline to listen to mp3s, write small notes, read PDFs.

That link says it is easy to install Linux on Mac. However, this iMac I have doesnt boot from external device.
Luckily someone close by had an install CD to upgrade the software, this was done, the former super user was removed.
However, 32 bit is no longer supported, there is no new software for it.
So can use this for writing notes, listening to mp3 and viewing images. This will be a secure offline PC.
Mac OS is based on BSD was told. If the display fails then I can get the HD out of this PC.

Will use it as such and see how it goes.

The Intel based Macs started to use a version of FreeBSD, with Apple's Aqua desktop, you might be able to use some software from the FreeBSD repos, but I can't say for sure, you'd need to check with a Mac user forum.

This iMac is horrible for the average present user, last thing one needs in their life. Even a P4 is far better than this iMac.
Feels like you were tied to a big block of stone and pushed from a tall rugged cliff with this device.
No wonder the owner was so happy when I took it, he came to me recently and said he hates Macs specially
this old one.

However, I still have respect for old devices. There is someone who is a very good chess coach and at a recent
local demonstration showed how chess can be used for personality development to over come issues and solve problems.
This old iMac has a very nice chess program on it, in this regard it is good for that, to listen to sermons, take
notes etc., Will see how long I last with it and also if I am allowed to move with it considering that I will be
monitored for clutter in future.

rvijay, I've always been worried you would reach your hand down in a dumpster or jump in and get stuck with a used syringe.

Hepatitis or HIV would be a high price to pay for old hardware.

Thanks for the concern, with time this is starting to be more true. That is why they have safe injection sites and drop off boxes
for syringes in different areas.

This iMac I got via a personal contact. So it is clean and safe in this regard.

There is always the yuck factor in Dumpster Diving. Basically the more yuck stuff you can handle, more the rewards.
However, there are lots who wish to part with old hardware these days, just need to check locally on related groups etc.,
No need to DD for old hardware. Sometimes, there is an abandoned PC by the kerb etc., these are safe to collect. Only issue is if they came from a dirty home with pests. Opening the device will give an idea.
Specially look for black or white spots etc., that pertain to bed bugs.

Personally for me, I have lots of projects that keep me happy. I still like retro but lean more towards retro software. I do some
art with crayons and will go for walks as the weather improves.

Not only that. There are old programs like Abbey Reader which won't run on newer Microsoft OS, for example. You wouldn't believe how much Windows 98 discs are ebayed for, over here in Germany. They're presently going for over 70€. The place I used to work at is throwing those into the garbage can.
I initially bumped this thread, because I typed "ordissimo" into the search engine. Despite being a dumbed down computer practically for idiots, it's based on a simplified Linux operating system. Which is reason enough to buy one, if that OS version will recognize older peripherals and older programs like early Nero and Abbey Reader. Does anybody know if it will?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3roYYfyJaDg&t=57s

I chronicled some of my trials and tribulations trying to get an Open Source operating system working on my old laptop with 64 MB of RAM:
http://www.distasis.com/cpp/slin.htm
I've also had some luck with minimal distributions like Debian netinst, AntiX and NanoLinux. Rogue Class Linux and INX are good examples of what one can do with a computer that is not running X Windows. ToriOS seems interesting since one of their stated goals is to continue to support older computers. Elks ( http://elks.sourceforge.net/ ) may be of interest to some with minimal systems too. There are also various forks of Android such as AndroidX86 that run on PCs. Using nano-x in place of X Windows also seems like a useful option for systems where X Windows just does not configure properly. You can run basic X11 and FLTK applications using nano-x. It works on a wide variety of operating systems including FreeDOS and ELKs.

I noticed there were posts about Kmandla's blog in the thread. I really enjoyed reading both of his blogs and his posts about minimalist computing. Would love to find other similar blogs, forums or resources to discuss topics like the ones he covered. If anyone knows of any good places to discuss minimalist computing and lightweight applications further, please share the information. Thanks. If you're going to run low resource or older computers, finding the right lightweight software can be an important key.

I got great support to transition, find an amazing new place and move in etc., This is in a great area away from all the issues at the older place, so overall it was all for the good. I have no net or phone at home, dont miss it. During the transition I was able to connect with good folks.

The old iMac I was given was sufficient to load PDFs related to Jesus that I had on few USB drives and also
sermons. For entertainment I just listen to Clock radio, there are very good local programs here.

I can use net sometimes at local Library. Perhaps might get a tablet in future.

Just wanted to update all. There are some old dell desktops on sale locally at used shops, they are around 100 bucks. For the moment I am far from the net and old PC, enjoying the peace. Appears this is the point that the internet ends or atleast takes a big break.

Best Wishes to all.

Thank you so much for the update, rvijay. If you are comfortable PMing me contact info, I can get a laptop out to you, most likely Thinkpad X60 or something of similar vintage. I'm sure you have other contacts at LQ who are better heeled and less risky than my illustrious self, lol.

I think that's how the internet ends for everybody. I lost my son eight months ago and find more comfort in a local radio station and nature than I do technology right now.

Math/Science isn't my "thing" so I am not feeling the grief that some programmers and lifelong IT people are having to deal with right now. My son was a biological organism and my memories of the Linux community will always be bigger than that: I don't remember everybody's username or all the details, but I will always remember how we reached across barriers of gender, class, and nationality to give twenty minutes of our time to help a stranger learn how to learn.

What was revolutionary about Linux and what will continue regardless of politics and economics is that we did not believe that it was advantageous to society as a whole to deliberately create an ignorant underclass. We did not hoard information. We helped each other.

We are all forever changed by our experience with Linux, however deep we dived or however long we used our computers. Whether we lose the internet because of aging or other personal catastrophes, we know better than to believe negative things about human nature that simply aren't true.

And somehow, some way, I don't know how, we (humanity) will survive until we can thrive once again.

Very sorry about the loss of your son.

Thanks for the laptop offer, I will reflect on it. However, given the fact that I have no net at home now, it is not as useful.
Also, many have faced floods, forrest fires etc., in Canada and have been evacuated in the past few months, considering all
such natural disasters, increasing rents, decreasing space etc., there are some real strong practical restrictions to using old computers
these days.

I decided recently to get a cheap Samsung SG-T113 tablet recently. Just have books on drawing on it mostly.

It is cheap and convenient. If anything I must look into Linux for android in future.

If life is bear hammering as it has been for me for a long time, then I suggest getting to be super flexible, prepared for challenges and
dwell into the arts as much as possible. Specially consider drawing, there are some really good ebooks for free on the net on Drawing.

Best wishes to all.

Much appreciated and I'll definitely take that to heart. I'm afraid I could never handle Android or iOS personally, but I have been spending more time playing music than playing with computers lately and am going to take your advice about drawing, since words seem to be failing me lately and the internet doesn't feel like home any more.

I'm not Canadian, but you are more important to me than whatever the postage would cost if you change your mind about the X60.

Will do for sure if I change my mind. Try to be positive about negatives from past, actually embrace, cherish them
and then grow along with them, this is what I am trying now. Still have a long way to go in this regard. Life is too short to be sad all the time, have to make the best of it.


Here is a basic kit I figured out for entertainment:
Clock Radio or pocket radio, Sudoku Puzzle Book, sketch book, pencil mechanical and eraser.
Clock radio is good to set alarms. With sketch book one can draw rivers, seas, mountains and
other amazing things that are a part of nature. If you prefer you can use crayons or color pencils also.
With time this will become a very nice collection, can be shared with others even. Do this outdoors
and a few will watch, perhaps can get you a few contacts.


This man has made it with just Ballpoint pens:
https://englishrussia.com/2019/06/25...t-at-its-best/


https://simplify3.wordpress.com/2009...-for-a-pencil/

I did buy a core i5 used PC in a garage sale over a month ago for 20 bucks. It has no HD, needs special monitor cable
so this is in the backburner*.

Jailbreaking the tablet is also too geeky for me at this point. Rather just sketch more.

I was feeling quite low few days ago. Got bugs in new place already, others dumping junk outsides, so have to clean and get this place treated by exterminator. So to help my mood, I got a few DVDs from a local thrift shop for a buck each, mostly cartoons and watched Simpson`s, family guy etc., Each DVD is a buck. The old iMac I have works perfect for this. One episode helps me a lot to gain fresh positive perspective. At this rate, few months to a few years down the road I might get another old PC when I am ready for it. Will be offline tho.

I also got an old RCA CD player, the sound is very good, but the radio works very poorly, even local AM station that is strong and popular sounds like an ICBM missile launched from Russia Nuclear Submarine to my Apt. At 10 bucks this is ok, will use it as long as it lasts.

https://blog.tripplite.com/how-to-co...dmi-projector/

If a tablet PC can be connected to external monitor then this is quite helpful.

Here the Library network is very good, one can borrow upto 15 books including 10 DVDs at a time.
There is also free net at library. When the Government supports offline life, then it is priceless. :)

I tried to connect my Tablet PC to my TV via USB cable and it failed. The TV doesn`t get signal from the Tablet.

I recently got the Kindle Fire HD 8 on sale for 70 bucks canadian including tax with the intent of trying to load Linux on it.
Without registration one cant use it, however this is a simple process. The great thing about this tablet is that reads
aloud any books loaded on it pretty much. This saves a lot of space as mp3 Audiobooks takeup a lot of diskspace with time.
It is so very comforting to listen to an audiobook.

Now I will reserve this project of loading different OS on tablet PC for future on a different tablet PC that is a lot more cheap.

https://www.tabletpccomparison.net/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.ht...cId=1001072731

I did endup buying a Lenovo desktop about 2 weeks ago due to good price 300 bucks canadian with tax approx.
However, I used it to just backup my tablet. Over 2 hours infront of TV or Desktop is making me tired these days.
I prefer to use tablet briefly in pulse mode.

insertech.ca

Above organization has done very well with old computers locally for last 2 decades and is govt. Supported.

I got an old laptop and two desktops.
Bought them.

I mostly use kobo to read classics these days.
Will use retro pc to transfer files.

Got a home built desktop from 2011 yesterday for
15 bucks. Full of dust, cleaned it and works well.
No card reader or DVD burner on it, but still ok.
No one else wanted it at store.

Good to have you back again :)

I'm out too and really have been for awhile

Learning and using Linux was the high point of my life. Many, many infinite thanks to everyone who took five minutes out of their bust day to answer a question or show me a cool trick.

Muchos Gracias to Happy Gnu, Jade, and everyone who recognizes this username and mistook Malus Pesto for one of noordinaryspider's alternate personalities and wanted to help.

But he was a real kid.

He died.

I live in a van. The rich people's kids want to kill me because it is 2022.

I bought a Samsung Galaxy A13 because it would have cost exactly as much as my shrink did if I had qualified for the four EZ payment plan and the shrink was very bad for my mental health.

I'm Ali Miracle's friend. He lives in Iraq so they wouldn't let him go to college and learn how to code unless he majored in English. I could relate, because I had to major in English too.

If that's why Malus Pesto died, then I am not ashamed. Ali is a good kid, even if we disagree about systemd and pretty much everything else. He doesn't have to speak English any more and I hope he doesn't even remember which one I was

We mostly talked about art and literature and everything he loved about Iraq because that is what the children want to save when their culture is destroyed.

That is what is interesting to me. My shrink screamed "That is the WRONG answer!", demanded that I be happy because I "have such a large vocabulary that I almost sound like a well educated person" and cured me of ever trusting a rich person again.

So I came home to read the mobile Linux threads.

Okay, so it's not my fault then. Thank you.

Please notify the proper authorities, your travel agent and/or family, and choose a better vacation destination and/or country to educate yourself and your kids in.