Consequences of browsing on old equipment

[Member PPC]

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I’m hijacking this thread a little bit:
Like Apple says, when users complained the antenna was obstructed when they picked up a state of the art and expensive phone, meant, hum… basically to be picked up and made use the antenna to makes calls: “you’re using it wrong” 🙂

we really can’t use equipment with 20 or so years in the modern web. We have to adapt- the OP provided some tips on how to do this, but it’s just like trying to use a horse carriage in a freeway – we probably get run over by what is buzzing past the freeway.
I think we have to compartmentalize- to use web sites that are mainly text – like news sites, blogs (is that still a thing?) you can use a browser without any extras (no scripting- no JS, etc- even no pictures). To stream Youtube, use Smtube or a similar app. To access your e-mail? Use Claws or Seamonkey E-mail client, not webmail. To get the latest news, you can subscribe to a newsfeed and read everything in SeamonKey E-mail client too. You can use an app to subscribe to podcasts, and avoid getting them from the website, if that’s something you like to listen to.
You can use wttr.in to get a weather forecast strait in your terminal. If you need to translate a text to your own language, you can use the “trans” command straight on the terminal (or read my post on how to use a simple GUI script to do it). If you want to use Cloud Storage, don’t use the web based service, use an app that mounts it, so you can access your data from inside that app or using your file manager (just like it was a thumbdrive).
Do you want to access a modern web page? Close every single app you can, fire up a modern browser (firefox-esr will do it, if the latest version is able to run on your 32bits hardware, or Seamonkey, or Otter or Surf or our very own version of BadWolf- now both mangled since they relies on Webkit…) and do it, one tab at a time, and be prepared to wait for long periods of time.

Let me just plug this – FT10 Transformation Pack “ft10-transformation” includes some scripts that are handy on very old hardware, even if you don’t use Ft10’s toolbar and menu, the scripts are available… Version 1.1, on the repos includes “Weather” (that fires up a fully localized wttr.in window with your local weather forecast), “News” (that shows a simple yad window with news headlines- you can use it’s button to select your countries news).
Version 1.2, when it hits the repos, will include “Cloud” (that mounts any Cloud Service and displays it in your default file manager- I inserted a button to painless configure Google Drive, every thing else you have to initial use a cli, number based menu to configure it for the first time) and “Translate” (that translates to your system’s language any highlighted text and displays the result on a yad window, from witch you can copy). That, coupled with using your e-mail account via claws or seamonkey e-mail (both now come out of the box in antiX) will help Dino age hardware survive and be useful for some more years… (You can even install Thunderbird and use it to access a google calendar or install text based messengers to keep in touch with your friends)

P.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by PPC.

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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@PPC: whether on or off the topic, this is a helpful comment.

Anyone else have a comment more on topic, specific only to browsing on old equipment?

Otherwise let’s take our additional discussion to a different thread. Thanks!

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Brian Masinick

[Member blur13]

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PPC,

You are totally right about this. Compartmentalize. On my old netbook I live in the terminal. But sometimes I have to bite the bullet and fire up the ol Firefox-esr. Forget multitasking or multiple tabs. Prepare for CPU overload and whirring fans. Get in and get out quick! Back to the safety of the terminal.

[Member melodie]

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Whenever I try using a very old computer, I test it as the end users would : I try to use Youtube and see if it lags. You may say : wrong move! However surprisingly there are still a few computers out there built 20 years ago with lots of power, CPU, RAM, GPU. I had one which had been a former server, brought by a client, it was surprisingly snappy after installing… Xubuntu.

I do have a Asus A4D, I tried everything I know of, Youtube still isn’t snappy. Else than that the machine looks like it has never been used before! I won’t throw it away, worse case, it will end in a museum!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by melodie. Reason: typo
• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by melodie.

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