Re: [Fsfe-uk] ZDNet Carbon-neutral PC runs Vista (not Free software)

[Richard Smedley]

On Tue, 2007-09-11 at 23:33 +0100, Dave Page wrote:
> > Does it really need re-stating that real environmental benefits come
> > much more readily from _not_ throwing things away? E.g.  taking the 3
> > million PCs chucked in UK landfill last year and using for LTSP (or as
> > GNU desktops). :-/
> 
> To be honest, I've not seen anyone run the numbers concerning the energy
> cost of building new machines vs. the savings from more efficient
> hardware, better ACPI etcetera. Is it better for me to use an old
> Pentium as a firewall, or "sponsor" the manufacture of a lower-powered
> embedded device?

Hello Dave,

To add to the other points in this thread from MJ and Philip, it's
not just a matter of energy. Not only is that difficult to measure 
accurately over different transportation used for different PC
purchases and manufacturing techniques, but it can also come from
renewable ``unfriendly'' (bio-diesel), renewable ``friendly'' (tide,
wind, efficient solar, et al.), carbon neutral-yet-polluting (nuclear),
or fossil fuels. iow energy could be bad or good (or at least neutral).

The primary concern should be pollution - coming not just from 
transport and energy generation, but from refinement of metals
and manufacture of plastics used in producing computer equipment in
the far east, as well as in re-cycling circuit boards diverted
from landfill here to recycling centres in the third world.

Our policy at M6-IT is to use recycled equipment wherever possible
with LCDs replacing CRTs in many cases, but depending on the
case [1]. We use low power new hardware (eg NSLU-2) for office file
servers and virtual machines on very new hardware for web servers
as energy consumption in data centres is doubled by cooling costs,
leaving little room for inefficient tin.

Getting back to your question - yes, use your old Pentium
as a firewall. Use a live firewall distro, take out the
hard disk, replace the fan with a large heatsink, etc.
But if the ADSL router runs GNU/Linux just stick the firewall
rules there ;-)

 - Richard

[1] eg if there is air conditioning it will be working harder in a 
    room full of CRTs

-- 
Richard Smedley,                                         address@hidden
Technical Director,                                     www.M6-IT.org
M6-IT CIC                                        +44 (0)779 456 07 14

Sustainable Third Sector IT solutions. PRINCE2[TM] Project Management
Web services * Back-ups * Support * Training & Certification * E-Mail


M6-IT is a Community Interest Company, limited by guarantee.
Registered in England & Wales,               Registration No: 6040154
11 St Marks Road, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 7DT

Northern Office:      4, Hollins Green, Bradwall, Cheshire, CW10 0LA.

Welsh office/Swyddfa Gogledd Cymru: e-mail / e-bost - address@hidden

Southern Office: Bristol                    contact address@hidden