IT Geeks own up

Posted by: Steve G on 03 February 2005

Despite having a degree in computer science and my entire career being spent in the industry for many years I'd rejected the idea of a home computing network on the basis that it was the ultimate expression of IT geekdom.

Once broadband internet was in place and with an increasing requirement for web access from the kids to fulfil homework assignments I finally caved in last year. A recent review of the kit in the house shocked me a bit though as I've now realized we have 6 machines in regular use, and 6 more either mothballed or rarely used!

As things stand now at home we have the following:

Ethernet networked:
- My main/games PC (2GHz P4)
- PC as file server (400Mhz P2)

Wireless networked:
- My laptop (1.4GHz Pentium M)
- Daughters PC (400Mhz P2)
- Sons PC (400Mhz P2)

Not networked:
- Wife's laptop (G3 iBook)

Rarely used/Mothballed:
- Powerbook 1400CS with G3 upgrade
- 300Mhz Cyrix (P2 equivalent)
- 333Mhz Pentium II
- 166Mhz Pentium
- 350Mhz Pentium II
- 350Mhz Pentium II

So does that lot (which excludes a BBC Micro, a ZX Spectrum, a ZX81, a PS2, 2 x PS1's, 5 x Gameboys of various vintages) make me the forums worst home computer geek or is there actually someone out there worse than me?
Posted on: 03 February 2005 by mykel
You win.

Mine is quite simple next to yours...

ADSL - Alcatel modem
USR - Router and Print Server
AMD 1800 - my workstation
Dell P3 laptop - work
P3 500 - file server ( Win2K advanced )
P3 450 - Oldest Son's machine

Mothballed
P2 400?
P1 100
Digital AppDec Server ( 486 based bar fridge sized )
Boxes of various motherboards, accessory cards, floppy drives, hard drives etc and enough cat 5 cable to damn near wire up an appartment building.

Just tossed out my first real PC with all of 4mb DIMM ram, 2 x 360K floppies and can you beleive it CGA !!

And if I look hard enough some really old mainfraim bits

Time for a good spring clean me thinks...

regards,

Michael
Posted on: 05 February 2005 by justiceklopper
why not give then moth balled ones to a local school or similar?

they dont have much resale value...
Posted on: 07 February 2005 by Steve G
quote:
Originally posted by justiceklopper:
why not give then moth balled ones to a local school or similar?

they dont have much resale value...


They don't have any re-sale value and I also think they're too old to be any use to anyone really. My wife is a teacher and her school seems to have stacks of G3/G4 Macs and IBM Thinkpads.
Posted on: 07 February 2005 by Lomo
They have so many old computers at the local charity shop that the man who checks they are in working order now gives basic training to the volunteers and if they want one they can take it home.