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One Billion Computers!

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One Billion Computers!

from JoeUser Forums

Gartner Research announced today that the number of computers currently in use worldwide has now surpassed one billion machines. That's nearly one machine for every six people!

As computers become bigger and bigger parts of our lives, one can only wonder how the world might change with the next billion. Will things get better or worse? Will the continued proliferation of computers usher in a golden age of free knowledge and human networking, or will they isolate us from each other by allowing us to see and hear only what we wish?

On a less philosophical note, how many of us have old machines just collecting dust in the closet (I've got a few myself)?

There are all sorts of potential projects or uses for those old machines and hardware (some helpful, some less so)--any ideas to put them to good use, rather than just wasting space until they find their way to the garbage?

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147,483 views 40 replies
Reply #26 from Sins Forums Top
.....it saddens me when I here information such as this.

This is a terrible day in mankind, one computer to ever six people.....

when will we ever learn?

You see, I guess I must educate you people in the fine art of understanding gnomes. You see, I am one of the last humans to ever have spent a long time studieing gnomes. I actully have a guide, passed down through my gnome-fighting family for hundereds of generatations, containint all of our secret knowladge about Gnomes. I have made my own contributions to this book.

You see, In the last generation or two, my family has discovered the emergance of a new type of Gnome. A sort of super-Gnome. One more viscous, tenacious, and strange than any other types of gnomes. I wont get into the mathmatics, phyusics, and phsycholigy of these gnomes, they are simply known, as computer gnomes.


The emergence of such numbers of computers has allowed the computer gnomes to thrive in vast numbers, especialy since the general populace doesn't even know they exist.

Help me, help the world.

Save humanity from the scourge of computer gnomes, and many other threats.

Save you family, save the world, SAVE YOURSELVES.

Join Rebel Genius.

http://nsskbiz.com/forumz/index.php
Reply #27 from Sins Forums Top
lol Evil.

I've got 4 computers: 3 fairly new and 1 with Windows 98.
Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion
Reply #28 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hmm I got...

A old server that used to be my regular computer...

Fairly recent new computer ( few months old )

5 year old laptop.

N years old laptop that was bought used as homework laptop. ( Approc 8 years is my best guess... )

And I'm not exactly rich... wow.
Reply #29 from JoeUser Forums Top

How could you not want to develop PC games with a install base like that. :LOL:

Mind you the amount of computers that could actually run today's modern games would probably be significantly smaller.

Reply #30 from WinCustomize Forums Top
That's a large number of people contributing to the dumbing down of society by way of chat-speak and youtube videos. :d
Reply #31 from WinCustomize Forums Top
That's a large number of people contributing to the dumbing down of society by way of chat-speak and youtube videos.

You'll never see me using SMS talk, not even when I'm texting (which isn't often). I don't care if it takes me longer or uses more characters, I spell the damn words out.
Reply #32 from WinCustomize Forums Top
i gave my old pc to robbers..I still can't figure out how they got
that huge thing out the window and down thirty feet.They were nice enough
to leave my CRT which I now plug into my laptop that never leaves my side lol
I'm sure they are enjoying the brand new LCD they took instead,,,oh well!!
Reply #33 from Stardock Forums Top
Myself, I have two working computers, a desktop and a laptop. I only use the desktop. I have three others in various states of disassembly. I kind of got into the habit of collecting up old computers, resurrecting them by swapping the parts, and then giving them to my less fortunate or computer literate friends. One of these is almost ready to go out the door.
Reply #34 from Sins Forums Top
Let's see:

old computer for internet use (no big loss in case of virus infection)
broken laptop (works, but can't get picture out of it)
ye olde 486 (with 25MHz processor and 4 MB RAM!!)
and, of course, my main computer used for work and play.

Plus, i just used 500 € to buy new computer parts.

Reply #35 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Got four desktoppers in use here... three Vista/XP dual boots (one belongs to ma), and one XP rig that I just finished rebuilding from old parts leftover from upgrades. Yeah, I finally pulled my finger out and decided to face the beast after it decided it wouldn't boot up the first time around, upon which, I decided to hide it in the closet.

That was around nine months ago, give or take!! Oh if only I had been inclined/in the mood to investigate it back then... turned out to be just the IDE ribbon needed to be reseated properly. (Now where's that kicking myself in the pants smiley some us would find useful here? :d )

I also have another build in the works - has an old 476 socket P4 2.8ghz on an Asrock mobo with 2gb of RAM, a 40gb Maxtor HDD, a nVidia 7600GT GPU, a basic Soundblaster card and 17" BENQ CRT monitor - for my daughter and partner. I'm just waiting on them to come over with the OS and a bigger HDD to finish it. Their rig went guts up and they can't afford to get another one, so I figured they may as well have use of my spare parts as have them taking up closet space. :)
Reply #36 from Sins Forums Top
lets see, 2 active computers at home. plus 3 desktops and 1 laptop. at work i have a desktop plus about 10 virtual machines that i use regularly.

i already gave away two systems this year. anyone have the address of a african village i can send my extras to?
Reply #38 from Sins Forums Top
Everyone in my family has 2 computers (a total of six). Our problem is that we don't get rid of our older rigs as I get new ones.
Reply #39 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I don't have any machines that very old (All are past 2005) I did however, have an 90's era printer. But I don't have it anymore. I smashed it up with a hammer. :LOL: 
Reply #40 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Up until 4 months ago i had 4 comps 2 x 2003 HP S5020AN's & 2 x G3 imacs.

A customer of mine was going to throw a dell GX110 Win 98 out (it was a dog full of viruses & spyware)once i got it home & spent a few hours on it she was all good to go,another comp i got for free (no brand model) was one that had been left on the roadside in a suburban street,took it home cranked it up worked fine ,i even know one of the people that was in some birthday photo's that were on it,worse still there was business info on employees including their IRD numbers (Government tax numbers for each person),some people are bloody idiots leaving info like that on computers *shakes head in disbelief*