Intro
Evermore, in today’s fast paced lifestyle we tend to always seek the path of upgrading as lowest resistance and the easiest solution to bypass our daily obstacles.
While we are familiarised from young age to learn this isn’t always the best strategy, we are at times limited and inclined to do so, from the simplistic notion that it seldomly pays up to navigate upstream.
This tendency also applies to the tech we use. We’re constantly pushed by the capitalist nature of society towards the easy outcome satisfaction of replacing, rather than repairing or repurposing our computers and appliances, either by the emerging difficulty to source spare parts, the inability to perform such interventions due to manufacturer and equipment constraints, or the sheer cost of doing so.
The upgrade cycle cadency
Technology has evolved to a standpoint that we can consider the update releases of this past decade as small increments to the original products.
More so, electronic equipment being released these days has a tendency to hold its value quite well along time, with a decrease in performance being almost imperceptible for years (take the recently released Apple’s M series silicon-based macs as an example).
With the increase in cost for all things electronic and household appliances, (due to production cost increases, inflation, logistics or simple “greedflation” effect), people should tend to be more cautious nowadays when considering about replacing their existing apparels.
The sheer cost of life increase and lower availability in some cases, in conjunction with better performing and more stable equipment, leads to a logical tendency of people hanging more to their existing equipments instead of falling into a more frequent cadency of upgrading. (There is always the planned obsolescence issue but it is a very extensive topic that might need its own dedicated article.)
The problem with e-waste
Although most parts of a computer are recyclable, the process still requires a good amount of energy, resources, and it’s still far away from carbon neutrality.
Faulty or slightly outdated machines don’t necessarily mean they need to be put aside waiting to go straight to the landfill or recycling centre.
There are a number of solutions and scenarios where broken or semi-functioning machines can be extended well beyond their designed lifespan, repurposed for less demanding tasks or given a new use altogether.
Thanks to the large sum of articles, tutorials and software resources made available online, most consumer goods are eligible to repair or serviced, and can be updated by ordinary people with little to none knowledge in electronics.
Unfortunately, most people still choose the easy route of replacing their devices with shiny new ones from the shelves more often that necessary.
Used computers are holding their value for consumers
Although technology is in constant evolution and innovation, the pace of disruptive changes has slowed down. Tech has raised to the point where computers don’t become outdated as fast as we’ve witnessed before (around the 2000’s for example), and prices have mostly stabilised to an expectable range across the board.
As previously stated in this article, we are currently witnessing a period of incremental changes as new products rollout, so hardware with a few years old is not necessarily outdated and unable to be repurposed for different usage.
A few online searches and we can see that used hardware can be found with little depreciation in price, derived from these minor upgrade cycles, as well as possibly justifiable by some logistics constraints and low stock.
One additional appeal of older computers to some people is the fact that they are more repairable and upgradable, despite what is now the tendency with more modern equipment, mostly based on SBC’s and unified architecture.
While this strategy is currently producing better performance-per-watt and amazingly efficient machines, it comes at the cost that repairs are simply not possible or borderline overcomplex for the average user to perform.
Access to technology is a barrier that should not exist
On contemporary society the cost of tech should not be an obstacle for learning. But sadly this is still the case today, and many kids have access to technology only at later stages in life, depriving them from early contact with essential modern world tools.
The sheer reality that there are kids without personal computers in 2024 due to financial difficulties creates a gap in learning essential skills for contemporary society.
I really believe this could be easily solved or at least have its impact reduced if people would collectively choose to repurpose their hardware and donate it to someone else who would need it, instead of leaving it on a shelve collecting dust.
Even if a person is not willing/able to refurbish the hardware themselves, there are surely others from their friends’ circles that can step in and make this a reality. (I have done so multiple times to help others and I’m always ready to receive donated equipment that I can rebuild and forward to someone in need).
Second hand equipment still holds potential to be used with modern software and there are plentiful education OS distros and replacement upgrade parts that can provide a cheaper alternative for students and non-pro users.
Even if the use case for these older repurposed machines might not be to use as daily drivers, they still have tremendous potential to be used for experimentation and development of hardware/software skills that might be useful for them in the future.
What can you do with old computers then?
It might require a bit of “elbow grease” to get everything set up and running, but taking a page from IKEA’s book, it might also be a enormously satisfying experience to assemble “your own furniture”, bringing a sense of accomplishment and pride.
The first obstacle to circumvent is probably the older hardware and the weight of the operating system it will be running. Linux comes to take front-stage when tackling this issue, with a plethora of different distros for any and every usage scenario you can think of.
In all of the examples provided, the goal is that all operating systems mentioned can be installed in relatively the same manner, with a simple bootable usb stick, and a straightforward process similar to the systems most users are already accustomed with.
This raises another valid point: most people are used to the Windows UI as their default working environment, so there is always the importance of choosing a clean familiar interface to be considered.
Note: Although there are many more alternatives in terms of operating system, I’m focusing on highlighting a few main ones, with a simpler installation process that the average user can perform.
By personal experience, a few operating systems come to mind when the topic is breathing new life into older and probably slower performant hardware; I’m talking about Lubuntu (that even has a version for older notebooks), Kubuntu and Xubuntu. (As you have probably realised, these first three examples share the same common base: Ubuntu.)
Ubuntu is also a very popular and versatile choice when it comes to repurpose hardware for different uses, having a server version available as well for those cases when people are aiming at setting up a headless system.
If you are looking for a more seamless transition from Windows, ZorinOS is an excellent candidate. It has a versatile UI that can be configured to the user’s preferences to look more familiar, and it is based on Ubuntu, so you know it is stable and updated constantly for security.
It’s also available in an Education version that installs pre-bundled with useful learning software in a ready-to-use package, a Lite version for (really) old computers, and also a Pro version (paid but bundled with even more customisation options and software options).
Other mention-worthy Linux versions worth tinkering with
Next level: Advanced use cases for your old hardware
If you are a more enthusiastic user and would like to go down the route of advanced uses for hardware you might have laying around, there are plenty of tutorials for alternative possibilities.
From creating your own router with PFSense, building a simple storage with automated backups with TrueNAS, exploring the world of home automation with Home Assistant or CasaOS, block ads when surfing the web thanks to Adguard Home, or even more advanced uses like exploring virtualization thanks to Type 1 (or bare-metal) hypervisors such as Proxmox or VMware’s ESXi, there are an infinite number of possibilities to explore, and dust off the computers you no longer use for your daily tasks.
Final thoughts
An overall sentiment of the right to repair movement and “dumb tech” adoption is emerging across the globe. Consumers are now starting to look back at their devices as pieces of household that they can maintain and repair, without the need to replace or subscribe to repairing services, either software or hardware driven.
In general, I feel that most of us are willing to go back to a simpler time when repairing what you have paid for and what you own, in order to extend its lifecycle evermore shortened by big business, is something that is taking traction and is making its return definitely (take Framework laptops as an example on modularity).
If proper repair and service guides are present, tools and parts are made available or “craftable”, and we take the plunge into understanding how our surrounding tech works, there is room for a more sustainable ecosystem, without detriment of tech innovation.
Big companies can then focus on providing services to loyal customers, and also profit from providing the tools to repair hardware. This will make people stay in the ecosystem for longer and it reduces production and logistics costs for companies (since they no longer have to make new equipment to ship and sale, and can now focus on selling smaller spares and services, while providing official support for existing gear).
