Many people will have unrealistic expectations of what their systems are worth. Have you seen of the prices of new equipment? One firm is offering a new "box" (CPU, CD-RW, disk etc, but no keyboard, screen etc) for under $450! Many firms have complete systems for under $1000. Older computers would generally require an upgrade to be able to take the newer Linux systems - that's if you want to have modern software - and it's usually cheaper to buy brand new than upgrade anything older than 3 years. But, if you want to use your existing Windows system and run one of the "Live" Linux distributions, it may be more effective to look around for an external modem (they're not particularly cheap to buy new!). When I was trying Knoppix on my Win/ME box (128MB RAM) a few years ago, I found an external modem worked great. It only took a few moments to set up an Internet connection. However, with email, you'll probably be confined to a web interface. I presume you're not using an ADSL Ethernet router - that's a breeze with Knoppix etc as you're straight on to the Internet without having to set up the connection. Michael Judy & Lindsay Roberts wrote:
We have been giving some thought to buying a SECOND HAND older computer - something like a 500mhz machine - to put a full Linux system on, if we cant get the LIVE versions I am tinkering with to operate to the point of being able to send/receive email and view the occasional website.
I have had some suggestions to where I might get something, from list members, but so far what I have viewed have been beyond our currents 'means.'
Further suggestions would be appreciated. Linz