[clug] giveaway - old PCs

[David Tulloh]

Paul Wayper wrote:
> Chris Smart wrote:
> 
>> [snip]
>>   Maybe Charity Computers at Charnwood could make some use of these if
>> no-one
>> else wants them, but I'm not sure.
>>   
> 
> I took my big pile of stuff there, and I'm not so keen on going there
> again to be perfectly honest.  In talking with the people there I
> believe they install Windows 95.  I don't know if they also install
> firewalls and antivirus protection but I'll put even money on nothing
> being installed.  A couple of the guys that I spoke to knew what Linux
> was and had played with it a couple of years ago but "the company's got
> this site license for Windows so that's what we're told to install" and
> "everyone uses Windows at work anyway and we're trying to give Aussie
> Battlers (tm) a chance at getting employed".  I believe there are
> several logical and factual errors in those statements, but I wasn't
> talking to the people with any power to change things so it was
> pointless.  I also got the impression that they didn't run any training
> or supplied any other software like word processors and so forth, so for
> people buying these computers it's most likely "pirate a copy off a
> friend".
> 
> I'm happy to be proved wrong.  But it really gave me the impression that
> the people running Charity Computers couldn't see the picture beyond
> just supplying someone with the hardware.  The fact that they've got
> pallets of perfectly good network switches, pentiums, 486s, and other
> hardware that small offices or CLUGgers could get good use out of - and
> that they refuse to sell you because you're not unemployed - makes me
> think they really don't know much about the state of play in the
> computer industry.

I looked in to Charity Computers a few weeks ago, I was considering
volunteering to help them out.  There were several things that I found
disturbing about their setup, mainly the fact that they are selling the
computers.

They sell a P4 for $400, with all the trimmings and Windows 2000
(http://www.charitycomputers.com/product.html).  DOLA recently sold a P4
 with the same or better specs for $342
(http://www.dola.com.au/onlineauction/auction/APViewItem.asp?ID=14111),
possibly with Windows 2000 thrown in too.

The difference is that DOLA is a commercial organisation buying the
computers and paying their staff.  Charity Computers is given the
computers, their staff seem to be all volunteers or work for the dole
participants (I think that means they are actually paid to take them).

The whole situation is rather disturbing, well before you start thinking
about how much Microsoft is skimming off the process.


David