Hi all,
Having recently become a member of a multi-computer household, I decided
I needed to implement some sort of arrangement for sharing the printer
and Internet connection. The obvious way to do this was with a Linux box,
since it could do both of the above and be a file-sharing mechanism at
the same time. On the other hand, I didn't want to spend a lot of money
on this project. After all, a second printer would cost only another $300
or so, and yelling out "Are you using the Internet?" would be an
adequate, if not elegant, solution to the phone line problem.
So I went over to the local used-computer store and found just what I
needed: a 486/66DX2 system with 8MB of memory, a video card, a network
card, CD-ROM, and a hard disc of some sort, all for $35. I got it home
and opened it up to add another 16MB of memory, and discovered that I had
latched onto somebody's idea of Nerdvana, circa 1994.
The previous owner had gone first-class. The video card was a
top-of-the-line 2MB VESA local-bus accelerated model. The IDE disc drive
was 1.7GB; it must have cost a fortune in its day. The CD-ROM was SCSI,
and there was another 1GB SCSI disc drive inside the case that I hadn't
noticed at the computer store, and the network card was Intel's best $150
model. It used a VESA IDE card, too.
No doubt it was some guy's pride and joy, got him all sorts of bragging
rights. Must have cost upwards of $4000; the disc drives alone were over
$2,000. Four years later, it's sitting in a used-computer store for $35.
Something to think about when eyeing that 1998-model 450MHz Xeon "speed
demon."
-- Bruce
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Bruce Toback Tel: (602) 996-8601| My candle burns at both ends;
OPT, Inc. (800) 858-4507| It will not last the night;
11801 N. Tatum Blvd. Ste. 142 | But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
Phoenix AZ 85028 | It gives a lovely light.
btoback AT optc.com | -- Edna St. Vincent Millay
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