[wplug-plan] recycling...was...Re: wplug-plan digest, Vol 1 #125 - 5 msgs

Thu Jul 12 19:42:03 EDT 2001

original below for reference, yeah I'm top posting, but the other messge was
detailed. Anyhow the last part was the thing I wanted to get at. What if we
did have a WPLUG volunenteer day? I am not real good with the 386 hardware
but I figure trading some work for some knowledge about how they used to put
these things together is going to pay off. Maybe not for me but <insert name
here> could do it and get a tech job instead of working at kennywood in the
summer between college semesters.(paper experience really helps) Although at
this point in time I would be interested. Some of those throw aways are
better than the ones I have @home.

|  ---------- 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
|  >
|  > -
|  > To unsubscribe, send email to majordomo at linuxusersgroups.org with
|  > "unsubscribe lugs" in the body.
|  
|  -- 
|  Ron Marriage
|  Homepage http://www.seidata.com/~marriage/
|  Email  mailto:marriage at seidata.com
|  Linux User Group http://www.seidata.com/~seilug/
|  Blind Links  http://www.seidata.com/~marriage/rblind.html
|  
|  -
|  

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