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At the time of writing, I focus solely on guides for older versions of MS-DOS, Windows, Android, and Linux because if you're looking to keep an old device around for whatever reason, chances are they aren't good enough to run many modern applications. But you'd be surprised at how much you could get out of these. And that's ignoring the obvious like using Termux to run Linux programs or full Linux desktops on an unrooted Android phone.
The first thing you may ask me is, "Ruri, what are your motivations for writing this blog?" Well, aside from my stockpile of low-end tech and my interest of ahem running Linux on a Wii as early as 2015, I've seen several examples of people giving their computers new life as productivity suites instead of retro gaming machines or single-use toys. This can be as simple as installing Linux on 10+ year old hardware to -- what this blog post tackles -- installing older operating systems or abandonware that flies on your dinosaur of a 20+ year old PC or 10+ year old phone.
Because sometimes,
even so-called lightweight distros aren't enough,
unless you put in a hell of an effort,
or venture into uncharted territory.
Other inspirations include:
- Action Retro, who is responsible for FrogFind, 68k.news, and many other neat videos
- MichaelMJD, who frequently makes videos of similar nature
- The Cheapskate's Guide to Computers and the Internet
- These artists are making tiny ROMs that will probably outlive us all | The Verge
- Game of Thrones author George RR Martin: 'Why I still use DOS' | BBC News
- I still use WordPerfect 6.2 for DOS | Hacker News- I still use Windows 95 (2008) | Hacker News
- Why this Linux user is now using Windows 3.1 | Network World
- "Try dosbox on a raspberry pi. Win 3.11 flies (office and all)" | Hacker News
- New OS For Commodore 64 Adds Modern Features | Hackaday
I doubt I'll find my audience, but I hope to save some people a headache or two, or at least inspire you to avoid tossing out your computer.
