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9 IIci's and an LC that were left outside in the rain.▸
9 IIci's and an LC that were left outside in the rain.
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9 IIci's and an LC that were left outside in the rain.
9 IIci's and an LC that were left outside in the rain.
Hardware 34 posts
Feb 14, 2009 — Feb 22, 2009
I know a teacher who still uses an Apple IIGS in a classroom for the simple fact that it does what it needs to do--acts as a reteaching/enrichment tool.
Because machines are thrown away these days around 4 years after then are purchased. It is like arguing why should I throw away 10 day old bread thats only slightly moldy and dried out to a hungry guy who has a supply of 2 day old bread for free.We all know which models have better longevity, and concerns about hardware failure are minimal to me. I'm only distributing 3/4 of the inventory at any given time to allow for easy swaps when such situations do arise.
Why does a 10 year old computer need to be something for hobbyists and collectors only? With service issues aside, why is a computer from 1997 (in use purely for educational/personal productivity tasks, running contemporary applications) any less useful in that role that it was a decade ago? They are indeed "too slow, have low ram, and have an obsolete OS" for anything produced after their time or release, but those applications were excellent. I might even argue that these older machines are better suited for the task given the simplicity of the interface (AtEase or otherwise) and the clarity of the software. Frankly, I'm glad that the younger recipients aren't able to hop on the internet without supervision.
I understand the rationale for how surplus school computer equipment is treated. It's based on the need for responsible handling of public assets; but what I'm saying is there are shortcomings in this process that mean more to the community.
On an individual basis you can probably find somebody that would want a 10 year old Pentium, but for most organizations they would rather deal with 4 year old Dells that all can run XP and have a legit XP sticker/serial. If something does break people would rather be able to get spare parts from anywhere and not having to use ebay to hunt for obsolete stuff.
Various schools and other entities HAVE become MUCH stricter about giving stuff away. At least in MA, where I live, tax reasons actually have a lot to do with it. Schools and other governmental entities are exempt from sales tax. Private individuals, of course, have to pay. Thus transferring stuff that was bought by the state to individuals, even when that stuff as been written off as no longer having value, is seen as illegal under the strict interpretation of tax law used by the University of Massachusetts system. Thus the stuff can't be given away and usually can't even be sold, so (for the University of Massachusetts), it just goes to a secure warehouse at the "main" campus, where it just sits for all of eternity. What I wouldn't give for a day in that warehouse...
They can recycle it, probably after getting enough volume to fill up a recycling truck.Various schools and other entities HAVE become MUCH stricter about giving stuff away. At least in MA, where I live, tax reasons actually have a lot to do with it. Schools and other governmental entities are exempt from sales tax. Private individuals, of course, have to pay. Thus transferring stuff that was bought by the state to individuals, even when that stuff as been written off as no longer having value, is seen as illegal under the strict interpretation of tax law used by the University of Massachusetts system. Thus the stuff can't be given away and usually can't even be sold, so (for the University of Massachusetts), it just goes to a secure warehouse at the "main" campus, where it just sits for all of eternity. What I wouldn't give for a day in that warehouse...
My old university pretty much uses the stuff untill it cannot be repaired anymore and then sends it to the local prison to be dismantled and then sent off for recycling.