A universe of events and platforms focused on open source, open tech and the open web.

All Things Open

Five Dell OptiPlex 9030 All-in-One PCs from 2015, deemed obsolete because they don't meet Windows 11 requirements, were given a second life by installing Linux Mint Cinnamon 22.3. The machines, featuring i5 CPUs, 8 GB RAM, 23-inch displays, and built-in wireless, now run smoothly with full access to modern browsers, web conferencing tools, and hundreds of open source applications. One unit has already been donated to a local historical society for research and remote learning. The project illustrates how open source software can extend hardware lifespan, reduce e-waste, and provide communities with capable, secure computing at no cost.

How Linux Mint gave five “obsolete” library PCs a second life

Reducing e-waste through open source and extending the life of outdated hardware.

Installing Linux Mint on decade-old hardware

Real-world impact: From library to community

I found two laptops on the garbage last year, a Lenovo yoga pro 2 and a macbook air from 2013 that i’m using now to write this comment. I brought them back to life with Ubunto on the mac and Kali on the yoga pro sine the Lenovo Network Card allows me to use monitor mode.
They are running perfectly, I was in a very dificult situation, and use the computers at the libraries to studie at the time with no house no job and no family, finding the firt one and bring it back to life thanks to linux was a big gift in my life, allow’d me to studie all the time have the freedom to experiment and develop for the web in order to learn Web Development and Cyber Security.
Thank you Linux an all the contribuitors.

mint was one of my fvrt distros in my early linux days-

I love this case study. Linux Mint XFCE just gave my Macbook Pro 11,2 another chance too. It existed before two-factor authentication and got stuck in an admin authentication loop while trying to download the next operating system. I cried, learned to build a PC, and then learned Linux because of it. After trying with multiple distros xfce is the only one that is light enough to fully utilize its resources and not do massive battery drain.

It might just be that someone installed Linux Mint on a computer. But I’m always moved by stories where people don’t throw away computers that are still usable, but instead keep using them for a long time simply by switching the operating system.