Old Computer Challenge
occ.sdf.org56 points by wrxd 2 days ago
56 points by wrxd 2 days ago
There is something healthy about a challenge where the goal is not optimization, productivity but just spending a week with constraints and making something
Interesting site/challenge; however, I had trouble browsing and finding "what to do" in a reasonable time.
I recently spent like $170 giving a new lease on life to a 15-year-old Lenovo S10-3 Ideapad with a 1-core Intel Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, a WiFi card, and a 250GB SSD running AntiX Linux in TTY/Command Line mode.
So far, I've turned it into a picture/frame + vision board running Tailscale so I could SSH in and/or rsync stuff.
I am also attempting to run a no-AI version of Pwnagotchi to pwn WiFi networks.
I am also using it as an always-on appliance that does stuff like rsync/backup my entire server, run lightweight Python scripts to check the uptime and days until domain expiration, etc., on a set of websites I own and would like to own, etc.
I have all of this stuff connected to a Telegram bot that reports to me.
It's an interesting set of constraints, and you can surprisingly do a lot of cool stuff.
Trying to use a 15-year-old Atom netbook as a modern laptop is mostly pain. But treating it as a small always-on appliance is a much better fit
Here’s an idea that’s been following me for a while, if you like low-level stuff:
Make a toy OS that boots into a Lisp shell.
Another to appreciate how fast computers that we call old effectively are: write a game for the shell. Depending on your level of skill, you can try pong, snake, lunar lander, or a 3D software renderer.
In short: a bunch of people who like old (as in around year 2000) tech periodically try to achieve something using the tech of the time. Many post on Gemini, a few on Gopher (which already was ancient in 2000).
I mean, I guess I daily run an old computer. Lenovo T400 from 2009, 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo with 4GB of RAM. So far I haven't really had any issues. That said today I picked up a Carbon X1 4th gen for $100, that might be become my new Old computer. Also in the process of refurbishing an IBM Aptiva from 1996. Pentium 166Mhz with 64MB RAM, that one is a little beauty.
I do like this years challenge, 'hand-make something' as that is always a good thing to do.
This just reminds me that I have my old MicroATX HTPC (remember that term?) that I built in about 2010 sitting in a closet. I bet I haven’t booted it since 2014. I wonder what’s on it…
HTPC are still very much a thing, I use mine for everything from MAME to watching a 72GB sized 4K copy of Apocalypse Now Redux. I think the major home theater receiver manufacturers continue to include a "PC" button on the remote control and a "PC" labeled input on their better receivers with five or six HDMI inputs.
I ended up getting a second hand Optiplex Micro for this. Tiny unit, low power usable, never even heard the fan switch on. Even with the slow frequency (2ghz) the Intel media decoders are brilliant at handling this stuff.
Mine was built with a leftover ryzen 1500X, microatx motherboard and RAM that were effectively free, a geforce 1030, and a random cheap 256GB SSD I found on newegg (the video content lives elsewhere across the LAN). It continues to be capable of playing 2160p60 H.265/HEVC content so I don't see a cpu and motherboard upgrade any time in the next couple of years, unless very high bitrate AV1 encoded content suddenly becomes more popular.
That sounds like it should be good for many years to come. Maybe if there is an uptake in AV2 once that is out then issues will come up. I'm not a shill but the one thing Intel have done well with their ARC cards is the media decoder. If their GPU space doesn't work out at least they have that and that could be a decent upgrade path in future.
I've tested it with 'normal' bitrate 1080p and 4K AV1 content and it still keeps up, staying under 70% CPU usage on all four cores, all AV1 decode in VLC is done in software since the geforce 1030/1050/1070/1080 generation of cards obviously has no capability for AV1... We'll see how it goes in 3-4 years.
> smol
Just write "small" you weirdos.
This kind of comment could be written about almost anything and is fundamentally un-interesting. You chose to write "weirdo" instead of "screwball" or "bozo" and probably think the more modern "weirdo" captures your intent the best. I'm sure the original authors had a similar thought.