[wplug-plan] Re: Finding organizations willing to donate computer hardware (fwd)

[James O'Kane]

on second thought....


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2001 01:29:02 -0500
From: Ron Marriage <marriage at seidata.com>
Reply-To: lugs at linuxusersgroups.org
To: lugs at linuxusersgroups.org
Subject: Re: Finding organizations willing to donate computer hardware

I work with two non-profit groups doing this, in two
different counties, and have to say that it would be
difficult for a lug to do this and actually do anything
else.
Most recycling centers are willing to give you the computers
as it takes a great deal of their staff time to "break them
down" into recyclable components.

A group doing this needs lots of volunteers to go through
the machines not only to decide which ones work, but what is
inside of them.  Most are 386 and 486, a few pentium class
machines come in and a rare laptop might show up.  Many
don't even have svga graphics, no modems, small hard drives,
monitors that you know nothing about.  Did they sit in a
corner for a year, you betcha, in fact many have set there a
lot longer.  All have low memory.

Volunteers need to pull out useful memory, HDs, etc out of
machines and put them into better machines.  Everything has
to be tested and retested.
Other volunteers have to truck back all the scraped out
boxes and such to the recycling center, which will require
that you sort it.

Many are networked machines so have a network card inside
them already.  Nice, but how to get past all the password
security and network security is a problem.  Many network
servers had built-in security and without a password you are
lost.  You need volunteers to handle this, and others to
take out re-usable parts on those that can't be broken into.
All have set so long that nobody knows the passwords.

If you install an OS, which one, sure linux is our choice,
but what about the senior center that gets one.  Who is
going to go to the center to teach the oldsters how to use
linux and learn that winzip isn't included and just because
their grandson told them about some neat program they can't
go out and use it?  More volunteers needed and you need them
on a regular basis. Even if you train someone at the nursing
home, school, whatever, who supports them, what happens when
new problems arise, or new person takes over.  More
volunteers.

Do you include a printer, modem, internet service and who
pays for these items.

Thankfully most states have grant money to help get such
organizations up and going and add the needed equipment.
But now you need someone who can not only write grants, but
rewrite them over and over again.  You need someone who will
act as accountant to oversee the grant money.  You need to
have someone outside your group act as an auditor of your
group and how the money is spent. And you had to set up a
board of directors to watch over everybody.

Most states will only give grants if this is the primare
function of the group.

Who is going to decide who gets the computers, what
standards do you set?
Who answers the letters that complain that they were more
needful than the group or person you gave a computer too?

Your board meets once a month now to decide on policy and
answer requests, complaints, and questions.  They decide on
the work days for all the volunteers and who will oversee
them.

Time for a user group meeting????????

Better to find a group doing this, or if none find one
willing to do so and volunteer to help.  Maybe you can be
the person who breaks into all the neat network servers.
For doing so, I'm sure they would see that you got the best
pentium in the house, added as much memory as you wanted,
and might even buy a bigger hard drive for you.  Of course
you have to go back next month and the next month and so on.
<grin>

Instead of starting one, think about the publicity your lug
can get if several of your members volunteered for this
community service project. <grin>

Ron


Bill Kent wrote:
>
> Rick Moen wrote:
> > So, the machine sits around in a corner for a year.  Finally, it gets
> > thrown out.  Thus, it's sometimes best to just go "dumpster diving" in
> > corporate industrial parks, and such.  It's amazing what you can find.
>
> I work through my sales reps at work.  I find that they're willing to
> give/get me some okay old stuff for my LUG.  Then again, I work in the
> Fortune 500, so most vendors "kiss up" pretty blatantly.  I have had to
> return some items when they turned up "missing" in an audit, but a few
> weeks later I got something that was totally off the books.
>
> I do know that it's next to impossible to get computers out of our
> company.  They normally go to some type of recycle organization or
> charity where we get a tax break.  So, if you really want something,
> setup a recycle service (you've already got the non-profit id).
> Recondition the machines and install Linux on them.  Take the
> reconditioned machines and place them in schools, libraries, the third
> world, etc.  If you can structure it so people/companies can get a tax
> break, you'll be overwhelmed.  Take the true junk to the recycle center,
> not the landfill.
>
> I ought to do this for my LUG and write up a HOWTO.  Like I don't
> already have enough to do.
>
> Bill
>
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-- 
Ron Marriage
Homepage http://www.seidata.com/~marriage/
Email  mailto:marriage at seidata.com
Linux User Group http://www.seidata.com/~seilug/
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