request | are you keeping (unsupported) hardware in use by running Plasma?

[Jos van den Oever]

The oldest hardware that I maintain is a Lenovo Thinkpad W510 from 2010 
that is currently running the latest Kubuntu. It has Quadro FX 880M and 
1920x1080 and 4GB of RAM. It is used daily for browsing, mail, and 
writing a book. The machine has been running since shortly after it was 
purchased.

The oldest machine that I know of that still runs KDE is a Medion laptop 
from 2003. It is used for working a flatbed scanner with a parallel port 
from the same time. It runs KDE3 smoothly, although the startup-time is 
around a minute and the CMOS battery is long dead.

Best regards,
Jos

On 09/12/2022 14.01, Joseph P. De Veaugh-Geiss wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> as part of the /Blauer Engel 4 FOSS/ project I am currently working on a 
> handbook for eco-certifying desktop software, and the issues of 
> software-driven hardware obsolescence and the "tsunami of e-waste" are a 
> part of it.
> 
> And I am wondering: Can the community provide a list of hardware they 
> keep out of landfills by running KDE Plasma + their distribution of choice?
> 
> Perhaps I can include some of this information in the handbook to 
> underscore (again) how Free Software is more sustainable by providing 
> *users* the choice of when to retire their hardware.
> 
> So, if you have a moment, and you would like to help me make of list of 
> hardware KDE continues to keep in use, can you send me the following?
> 
> - Distro and desktop environment you use,
> - hardware information (RAM, etc.), and
> - bonus points if you know that other operating systems have 
> discontinued support for that hardware (and if possible a link).
> 
> Also, feel free to share any stories that may be relevant. For instance, 
> I convinced my parents some years ago to switch to GNU/Linux when their 
> previous OS was pushing an update that gave them the unfortunate news 
> that "This device doesn’t meet minimum system requirements...". They did 
> not want to buy new hardware since the hardware was still new and worked 
> just fine. In fact, I believe the laptops were only 3 years old! I got 
> this email from my mom recently, and I quote: "I am glad that I switched 
> 95% of the time."
> 
> Cheers, and thanks!
> 
> Joseph
> 
> Some information about e-waste (to be included in the handbook):
> 
> - E-waste is considered the "fastest-growing waste stream in the world", 
> with 44.7 million metric tons generated in 2016. [1] This is roughly 
> equivalent to 4,500 Eiffel towers. [2]
> 
> - In 2018, an estimated 50 million metric tons of e-waste was reported, 
> motivating the UN to refer to a "tsunami of e-waste rolling out over the 
> world". [3]
> 
> - The numbers continue to rise: in 2021 an estimated 57 million metric 
> tons of e-waste was generated globally, a ~25% increase in just 5 years 
> from 2016. [4]
> 
> - Less than 20% of e-waste is collected and recycled. [5]
> 
> - Although it makes up only 2% of trash in landfills, e-waste 
> contributes to almost 70% of the toxic waste there. [6]
> 
> [1] 
> https://www.weforum.org/reports/a-new-circular-vision-for-electronics-time-for-a-global-reboot/
> [2] 
> https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Climate-Change/Documents/GEM%202017/Global-E-waste%20Monitor%202017%20.pdf
> [3] https://news.un.org/en/story/2015/05/497772
> [4] https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61350996
> [5] https://weee-forum.org/ws_news/international-e-waste-day-2021/
> [6] 
> https://www.forbes.com/sites/vianneyvaute/2019/04/23/with-love-from-an-oregon-prison-how-eric-lundgren-is-going-to-help-you-recycle-all-your-electronics/
> 
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