Hey.
This is my website. It's called Frugal Computing, because I like computers and I like to do my computing frugally.
Down below is the introduction to the site and the concept.
Click/tap here to go to the Hardware section of the site.
Click/tap here to go to the Software section of the site.
Click/tap here to go to the Articles section of the site.
Click/tap here to go to the Blog section of the site.
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(I use the ISO-8601 standard for dates. It goes like YEAR-MONTH-DAY.)
2024-10-07
Added Headphones #3 and Headphones #4. Decided to remove the "what's new archive". There will be 5 of the newest updates listed here, older ones will be deleted.
2024-10-05
Added a new blog post. Updated the specs of Systems #6 and #7 again.
2024-09-05
Added a new blog post. Updated the specs of Systems #6 and #7.
2024-08-26
Added a new blog post. Added System #7. Updated some hardware specs.
2024-08-16
Added a new blog post. Updated the specs of System #6.
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NOTE! All the links on my page marked "(outside link)" link to a webpage that is not on my site. All other/unmarked hyperlinks are to other pages within this subdomain.
Unless specified otherwise, the links labeled "(outside link)" are archived versions of webpages using the excellent Internet Archive @ https://web.archive.org to ensure their longetivity.
You are clicking these links at your own risk because I have no control over them.
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So, what does "frugal computing" mean, exactly?
Well, let me tell you a little backstory about myself.
I've been interested in computers from a young age. I started to get into them in the mid to late 90s, mainly just because I was interested in playing computer games at the time, though in retrospect also perhaps because I found computers to be fascinating somehow. Computers operate (when nothing goes wrong) on pure logic, which is like an oasis of relief to me compared to us humans - we tend to be emotional, irrational and often very illogical. So computers to me allow me a safe heaven from the intense intricacies of human social connections and just allow me to take refuge and exist for a while in the pure world of 0s and 1s. Ahh...
Anyway, 90's and 00's up to let's say around the Core 2 Duo era, circa 2007, was a very interesting time for computers.
Tech was evolving rapidly - if you had a three to four year old PC it was basically obsolete in many ways.
Back then I used to upgrade my PC around that three/four-year time frame because it was all so interesting to me. I was heavily into gaming so that was a requirement for me. You didn't have to just buy a new GPU, you had to buy a new CPU too if you wanted above single digit frame rates, which often meant replacing basically your entire system aside from the peripherals. Everything was getting more powerful at an insane rate. At the same time, gaming was just getting better and better, the level of innovation was just rising and rising to a seemingly never ending finish line. You could argue that gaming peaked in the arcade era, or with the last 2D consoles, but late 90's to mid-to-late 00's is a very viable candidate too.
When it comes to gaming, these days? Sure, there is a good game here and there but the general feeling around the gaming industry has changed. Much like the internet, the mainstream side of it has become corporate, formulaic and boring. Not to mention the mobile games market...
Well, I digress. After that many things happened at the same time. The gigahertz race slowed down due to physical constraints and developing multicore processing took high priority.
Social media began to take off slowly but surely. Big tech was starting out and corporations were becoming super interested in this interwebz thing. For profit, of course. Always gotta ruin everything cool D':
The internet was changing (RIP the wild west era) and so was technology. Many, many more people flocked to the internet with the advent of smartphones and the entire landscape around tech and the internet changed. It was no longer just for nerds. Though looking at the smartphone addictions today, I have bittersweet nostalgia for the days when I was called a "no-life loser nerd" for being on my damn computer so much :D
At the same time, after around the second generation Intel Core i-processor era, computer tech had just... peaked. Now, you can have over a decade old mid-range PC and not counting the latest (poorly optimized) games you can run pretty much everything flawlessly.
After ~2009-2011 it became just about incremental upgrades. There's really no need to buy a new computer unless you have specific use cases for it that your old machine can't handle. The same thing happened to smartphones around the late 2010's. They're just... there now. Past their peak. Uninteresting. Plain, corporate, dull and boring. The only reason to buy a new phone is if the old one breaks, the battery life has drained to the point of being unbearable and it's not cost-effective or possible to replace it, or the OS version is too old to run some program you need.
Now, I've never been a rich person, so I never used to have the most expensive PC stuff. Still don't, in fact, but not exactly because I couldn't buy them if I really, really wanted do. It just doesn't seem like neither the smart or the sustainable thing to do. I've always went for the "best bang for the buck"-route.
You see, I believe in several principles which lead me to what I call frugal computing.
Number 1. Don't fix it if it ain't broke.
Number 2. Make the best with what you've got.
Number 3. Minimalism in regards to purchasing consumer goods.
Number 4. Buy it for life, if you can.
Number 5. Knowledge is power.
Let me get into a little detail on each one.
#1 is simple and self explanatory. I don't upgrade computer components, hardware OR software, unless there is a very good reason to. Usually that involves something breaking down or me running out of disk space due to my crippling hoarder habits.
#2 is pretty much a logical extension of the second principle. It's also what I try to do in life in general. It's good to appreciate what you have and not constantly feel like you need more to be content.
#3 I got pretty in depth into minimalism during the mid 2010's. My life situation has changed since and due to that I require more possessions than before, but I still try my best to avoid hoarding unnecessary things. It's good for my wallet, my mental health and the planet. Just buy the things you need and nothing more. No purchasing for the sake of purchasing.
#4 means that if you have the funds, it always makes most sense to buy something that will last you a long time, if not a lifetime. For example, not regarding computing, I've bought a cast iron frying pan - that thing I might technically possibly pass on to my grandkids. It is a good principle in life in general.
#5 means, I know my tech and I know it well. I'm not a programmer or anything, mostly because I have neither the attention span nor time to learn it at the moment and... well, I just don't care enough. I just want stuff to work so I can move on with my life. That is my situation as of now.
But; I know how to make the best of (x86_x64) computer hardware and software. I also have knowledge of Android. Due to my knowledge in these areas, I cannot get ripped off so easily when it comes to computers.
Yes, I do use 14 year old computers. Yes, I do use 8 year old phones (though not exclusively.)
"ZOMFG!! The greedy gigacorporations hate him, learn this one simple trick to achieve the same!!!1"
...Just don't buy new stuff when your old stuff works perfectly fine :/
I retire hardware on my own terms. Only when it becomes obsolete for me, for my use cases, will I retire it.
I will use out of date stuff and I will save money by doing that to buy other stuff like, oh I dunno, food? Pay the bills? etc :D
Here at frugalcomputing.neocities.org, we thrive on old and out-of-date hardware.
We thrive on things we can find for cheap at second hand shops, get for free from our friends, relatives, co-workers, acquintances, etc.
We give computer hardware an extended lifespan way beyond what the fiery consumer market would demand from us.
Buy more, buy the latest, buy buy buy! I say no! I will not buy! You can't make me, nyah nyah >:D
Here, we appreciate old hardware. We even appreciate underpowered and struggling hardware. I mean come on, it's trying to do its best. It's adorable.
Here's an ode to all the dusty old computers, that most people would have replaced ages ago. Chugging along, with loyalty and respect.
Join the frugal computing revolution \o/
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If you have a comment on the site or some thoughts, you can reach me by e-mail at davesmith7@gmx.com. I might even respond at some point, though no guarantees. Peace out and enjoy your life.
Note: The website layout is boring by design. I code it manually by hand and I will proudly admit that I am a complete noob at HTML. It is text only for now, and doesn't include any scripts, audio, video or anything. It's just HTML and a single CSS file. It aims to be simple and efficient and to work on even the oldest and most underpowered of devices. I might or might not include images or some point, who knows... Also I am quite famously terrible at typos so whether or not you find a typo on this site is just a matter of time xD