Re: Debian on a Dell Latitude E7440
On Fri, 21 Mar 2014 07:37:39 -0400
ken <gebser@mousecar.com> wrote:
> I'm where you are, currently using a decades-old Dell Latitude with a
> couple cracks in it and a non-working screen. It's plugged into an
> old CRT monitor. Although, like yours, the battery lasts maybe
> fifteen minutes, it's still good for when the power goes off
> momentarily-- which happens four or five times a year. There's
> enough cash in my checking to buy a new laptop, but I just haven't
> gotten around to it.
>
> It's not going in the trash though. It's still good for a headless
> linux box. Long ago I buffed it up with a big HD and 2G of RAM, the
> cat5 and 802.11bg wifi still work, as do the two USB ports, DVD r/w.
> I figure it would still be useful as a print- and scanner server...
> and/or music server (the sound card is still fine), a sandbox
> machine, and possibly for some other things. I might spray-paint it,
> frame it, and hang it on the wall so it looks like art... even as it
> continues to serve useful purposes. I'd love it if this old piece of
> crap didn't make it into the landfill until after I do... maybe even
> *long* after.
>
> Linux will never die. It just gets perpetually revised.
Another excellent use for it is as an OpenBSD/pf firewall. Much less
bulky than a desktop, uses less electricity than an average desktop,
and in its normal operation you ssh into it so no keyboard or monitor
is needed.
http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/pf/
SteveT
Steve Litt * http://www.troubleshooters.com/
Troubleshooting Training * Human Performance
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