What can i do with an old 486?

[Train]

I have an old 486 that i havent even turned on in years, its supposed to have Win 3.1 on it but im not sure if the hard drive hasnt been wiped yet. But anways, ive ehard of people setting up 486's as linux servers. Im thinking i should try getting some stuff made in linux just to expand my IT knowledege beyond windows based environments.

Any ideas? and where should i start? thanks guys

ps, ive got some Unix exp from college, but am a total Linux n00b

 

[Crusty]

Try over in the OS Forums. They will help you...better yet. Just search over there....are there are TONS of threads about this.

 

[MedicBob]

Firewall. The OS forum and networking are the places to look though.

 

[PCHPlayer]

Boat anchor

 

[vshah]

print server?
wireless range extender?
movie prop.....

 

[swank121]

Originally posted by: MedicBob
Firewall. The OS forum and networking are the places to look though.

Very true. That's where my 486 ended up. Smoothwall is a great Linux based firewall/router that is easy to install and very secure. The OS forum will have lots of other ideas for you. Whatever you decide, have fun with it!

 

[Schadenfroh]

pirating direct tv smart cards

or

not

 

[Breezie]

use it to play leisure suit larry games and police quest ^_^

 

[Confide]

Simple network router? or perhaps a firewall for your network... 486's are prefect for linux; but i shouldn't say more then that... hit up the OS section for more info.

 

[Sid59]

smash it for stress / anger relief. why waste money running it as a firewall?

 

[tweeve2002]

Paperweight

Big paperweight

 

[kamper]

crunch SETI!!!!!! everything helps

 

[nortexoid]

for sure. use it play ol' school games.

u could also use it as a...

music jukebox
fax/answering machine
firewall
file/print server

 

[Incomplete]

One word.....Keychain

=D

 

[krackato]

I think it'll probably cost you $8-10 a month to run it 24/7 for electricity. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[vegetation]

Not worth the cost of electricity in my opinion. Turn it on a for a few days, install some junk, then throw it away and be thankful for the modern hardware we have today.

 

[drag]

It's most usefull thing to use it for would be as a basic firewall. It could handle about 10Mb/s of network traffic with no problems.

You can use it as a terminal for another computer, but that would only work in linux. You plug it into the serial port and use it for root access. Although the serial ports on these old machines are buggy and slow.

Other then that I don't think that they would be usefull for anything other then running dos to play old school games.

 

[TGHI]

Coaster.

 

[lansens]

Originally posted by: TGHI
Coaster.

 

[Rectalfier]

Throw it at someone you don't like.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

In my experience, they work fairly well as stolls.

 

[RandomFool]

booster seat.

 

[mikecel79]

Slap Win3.1 and DOS on there and look how far modern OSes have come since then.

Then when your done, if it's a tower turn it into a fish tank!

 

[niggles]

Originally posted by: Train
I have an old 486 that i havent even turned on in years, its supposed to have Win 3.1 on it but im not sure if the hard drive hasnt been wiped yet. But anways, ive ehard of people setting up 486's as linux servers. Im thinking i should try getting some stuff made in linux just to expand my IT knowledege beyond windows based environments.

Any ideas? and where should i start? thanks guys

ps, ive got some Unix exp from college, but am a total Linux n00b

I'm thinking you could use it as a lite brite... or maybe just a paper weight.

 

[ShaqDiesel]

Give it to someone who needs a PC, maybe a kid you know and let them play around inside it and learn about computers.