but number go down!

Okay. I can see where this is going. I hope you have a nice day.

> slow and bad is better than nothing

Sorry, we'll never agree on this. Time is a cost, and having to wait for everything is bad. If someone wants to learn coding? Sure, I've wiped a laptop and set them up for learning python, but when they are done, I made sure they had a brand new laptop.

To be fair, you have quite a sprawling set of repositories. Just as an example, I used to contribute to Ansible and always wondered why you hadn't abstracted some or more of your modules.

You might think, "but chromebooks are under powered and they fill the same niche". Yes, but the CPUs are purpose built - they have optimized paths for video and crypto - something older CPUs don't have and struggle with modern operations.

Please don't gift someone trash and think you've done good.

I went back and forth on replying, but this needs to be said:

THIS IS TERRIBLE ADVICE.

Sorry, but it's true. I received "gifts" like these as a kid. They were BURDENS that lasted only long enough to install linux and learn I needed a better computer for anything realistic.

Sorry for caps.

Dude stored top secret docs in a bathroom and showed them off, but sure, this concern is "real".

I have a pile of laptops. All perfectly good, but what use are they? The mobos can't even be pulled and turned into spare servers because the cost to refab a case and operate doesn't justify the slow CPU.

The landscape is changing. Old parts are maintaining value longer than their physical form does. e.g. I used to buy Seagate 1TB 3.5" by the box. What good are 10 HDDs that can be replaced with two drives that cost less to run?