[LUAU] a new use for hosef donations (used PCs)?

[Hawaii Linux Institute]

Jim Thompson wrote:
> There has been a lot of recent discussion about "what to do with PII 
> machines".   Lets build a cluster.  (Where can we find the room/power/AC?)
You can do a rough and tumble calculation.  To match a lowest-powered (& 
cheapest) Sempron you can find in the market, you will need at least 10 
PII's clustered together.  Here on the island, we are paying $0.21 per 
KWHr.  At 150 W per PII, we are talking about 7 bucks a day, or more 
than $2,500 a year for the utility bill.  And this is just one of the 
(more manageable) problems; the parts cost additional money, and 
servicing such a monster will be worse than a nightmare.

You can find a Sempron/MB combo for around $100.  So, is it worth the 
effort?  The key issue should be how to design an optimized system, sell 
the idea, and help getting the fund (a Niagara would be ideal for the 
Isle).  Of course, fund-raising is much easier said than done, and you 
won't get the same kind of instant gratification as collecting used PCs 
would give you.  Wayne