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Written by Tony Phelps
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Thursday, 17 November 2005 |
Computer hardware and software continues to improve and develop
incredibly fast. Although the overall speed that a computer processor
(it’s “brain”) works at seems to have reached a bit of a plateau
recently, all the other bits and pieces continue to push the technical
boundaries. The end result feels like the computer you buy today will
be obsolete in just a few months!
However, there is rarely a pressing need to continually upgrade a
computer to the fastest processor, the biggest hard-disk, the most
memory, the highest quality screen, the best video-card for games. If
you have the money, that’s fine, but it’s an expensive activity! The
reality for most of us is that a computer has to make do for a number
of years. But just when should you bite the bullet, throw out the old
computer and get hold of a new one?
Once again, it all depends on you and your circumstances. Much of the
time, a computer is used for tasks that don’t require much in terms of
computer power. For example, browsing the internet or sending/receiving
emails need little from the computer once the software has been loaded.
Mostly, an older computer simply takes a bit longer to do things than a
new one.
In business, the general rule is that computers should be upgraded
every 3 years. The more technically advanced may make that 2 years, the
more economically minded may make it 4 or at a push 5 years, but the
lifespan of a computer is quite limited. Such a turnover means that the
business computers continue to have not only the up-to-date versions of
software but also the better hardware required to make it work
reasonably quickly. This enables businesses to operate as efficiently
as their competitors.
Does this mean that a four-year-old computer is good only for landfill?
Not at all. It just means that it won’t be able to run the latest and
greatest Microsoft software. Microsoft (and related software
developers) have a reputation for building applications that require
lots of memory, fast processors, and take up vast amounts of hard-disk
storage. There are alternatives that provide up-to-date facilities but
need much less power – open source software, ie Linux. Taking a
second-hand computer and installing a Linux system will give an older
computer a second lease on life.
Such systems are easily the equivalent of the brand new counterparts,
in terms of what can be done with them. And they are spreading around
Vanuatu. A number of successful projects have seen places such as the
Freswota Computer Resource Centre make older computers available to the
general public for surfing the web, email, games, word-processing and a
myriad other things. Drop in and have a look! |
