No playing of commercial CDs, DVDs, BDs… no problem! You can purchase dedicated players that are designed to play these discs. Think about Nintendo’s strategy… their gaming consoles don’t need to have CD, DVD, nor BD playback because, they’re already devices that are capable of doing these things. Typically, you can still stream via platforms like Overdrive, Hoopla, and Kanopy are the best streaming providers what you can use via public libraries. However; they’re already media what you can consume on optical media over streaming.
Living Without Commercial CD, DVD, or BD Playback
You can always purchase a DVD or BD player to play these discs. Having dedicated players is one way to go around this drawback. Ubuntu computers, and other Linux machines don’t need commercial CD/DVD/BD playback, but you can make your own discs with content what you create yourself! Having a Linux machine is about choosing open-source software that can help transition to open-source lifestyle.
If this is the case; you may need to use your Linux machine as a creator hub.
Commercial optical discs have CSS for a reason… as a way to prevent unauthorized duplicating of their works… well, DRM can sometimes break machines. Defective By Design via Free Software Foundationhas campaigned against DRM because, it’s a problem for customers.
If you are NOT a fan of playing CDs, DVDs, nor BDs on your computer, most likely computer manufacturers has spent lots of money to get hardware and software that is expensive. However; you can always live without non-essential proprietary software. With the times of computing during the earlier years… coding is a thing, and we should reconsider it for households who are trying to save money.
If you still have an optical drive on your computer, you can give it a good use like, making discs that contain games to play, or live software that will run applications. Think about the time of using floppy disks. Well, making discs on optical discs were common via Sega Saturn, and Playstation,–and Microsoft’s XBox gaming consoles.
Coding your own software on discs can be useful for money-saving efforts… like making your own spreadsheet applications, text-editing programs, etc. With all of that purchasing software that is ready made by companies caused us to forget about programming on our computers directly.
Customers can be programmers too! Being a programmer at home is key to make your own software.
Getting Back Command Line Terminals
Type Ctrl-Alt-T, you can get text-based commands back, and you can use it to perform computer commands, and other disk commands without using your OS’s graphical interface. Typically, blind computers use a keyboard to navigate. Also, braille displays are useful devices for getting braille output. Also, typing commands is the most preferred way of people who want to use text-based programs for running programs. For this instance, you can launch Firefox to launch a browser. Unlike Windows, you use Linux commands. I use a terminal to perform updates to my machines. Also, typing up text is ideal for programmers who prefer to program the old-fashion way. Also, text-based interfaces are fast by design!
You can also launch a webpage after a browser chosen by you:
$firefox en.wikipedia.org
How about that!
Also, you can create directories, files, and even other things what you’ved missed for many years, even if you miss out DOS, or any other computer that use commands via keyboard.
Your terminal can be your best friend if you were writing computer programs. Useful for making games, applications, or even embedded systems for customers.
Office Applications
LibreOffice is an open-source alternative to Microsoft Office. You can do almost the same as Proprietary office applications. However; LibreOffice is ported to various OS platforms like Windows, and Apple’s Macintosh OSs.
Office work can be a breeze if you only use Ubuntu, or any other distributions of GNU Linux OSs. Open-source software supposed to save money for offices around the world. However; this software is community-supported, and you can support this software by making a donation by visiting there page. The more you donate… this software will be supported for years to come.
Browsing The Web
Firefox, is a default browser that ships with most Linux distributions. However; this browser is also supported by a community. You can go to mozilla.org to support this browser by making a donation. However; Firefox is much stable than Google Chrome. However; Firefox never stops improving. Well… as a disclosure, I use a Firefox browser for everyday use.
Having a Firefox account is similar to having a Google account. If Mozilla evolves for the future, and outperform Google… Mozilla will someday provide an alternative to YouTube, Blogger, Google Wallet, and even Google Play!
If You Want To Stream Content
Don’t use Disney+, Hulu, Dish, Direct TV, YouTube Premium, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, or any other subscription-based streaming services that require you to pay monthly or annually? Hoopla, Kanopy, Pluto TV, and Overdrive are the best platforms to stream TV shows, Movies, Music, and even books. With Hoopla and Kanopy,–and Overdrive, you must possess a library card in order to use these platforms. This is ideal for stretching your dollar to the point of saving more money. However; Ubuntu Linux should be catered towards poor communities who wanted to own computers too!
When you rely on these services, you can enjoy content without lifting your dollar from your wallet, nor need to swipe your card to make a purchase. However; Hoopla and Kanopy use DRM to protect content, but you can still rely on these services as a way to consume content without effort.
Play Games
You can still play games. Super Tux is an open-source game that is inspired by Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. franchise. However; this game takes place in Antarica. Also, you can modify this game to your preferred form. Unfortunately, Super Tux is not accessible for the blind.
You can find other games that can work with Linux distributions.
You can also make games from scratch, and port it to all Linux distributions, and other open-source OSs like FreeDOS. You can also sell your hard copies of your games to expand your reach. Unfortunately, there’s no such physical copies of Super Tux made at this time.
Banking & Finance
You can bank with your Ubuntu machine like usual. Just visit your bank’s website to view your balance.
You can also manage your investments.
You can pay credit card bills.
Pay any kind of bills.
Visiting your bank’s website is easier than using Windows or Macintosh. Be aware; some banking websites require you to use a specific browser.
If You Stream Using SoundCloud
Got an old bombox? You can give it a new lease of life by connecting an adapter to your computer! If you have a stereo system as a way to listen to music… the old way over downloading from iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Music, etc. This is useful if you have a dedicated Ubuntu Machine designed for this purpose. However; it requires 4 to 64 GB of storage for running smoothly.
If you are tired of ads playing and interrupting your Reggae/Soca/Ska party, install ABP (Ad Block+), an ad-blocking extension to your FireFox or Chrome Browser to block these annoying ads.
If you have a PC lying around in your house, you can remove a previous OS like Windows Vista, you can turn it into a mmusic-streaming rig. Just remove some Ubuntu apps what you don’t need, and keep these essential apps like your browsers. This is handy if you want to be a DJ for your bar, arcade, etc.
If you have a dedicated internet connection for your device, just use your old computer for this purpose.
Turn Your Old Computer Into An Arcade Gaming Machine For Your Arcade
This is a fun project to do!
If Your Company Own Old Computers That Are No Longer used Everyday
Have you recently decommission your company’s set of computers recently? Don’t throw them out! Instead, give them new lives as arcade machines for an arcade what you’re opening. You can create your arcade games from scratch, or get a hold with game developers who can port games to your computers what you are revamping. You can get a hold with Nintendo, Sega, Playstation, Microsoft, or independent developers who can provide you software for your arcade machine, and don’t forget to ask them about paying royalties on a monthly basis. Making games from scratch is important because, this is necessary to be creative. You can program your own games to be on cartridges instead of CDs, DVDs, and BDs! Adding a coin-accepting mechanism can help your arcade make money. You can also set your arcade to support charities like Free Software Foundation, Creative Commons, Abled Gamers, etc.
If we can put these old discarded computers back to gaming lives via an arcade, we can reduce computers flooding landfills. Computers don’t belong in lanfill mounds, nor belong submerged underwater.
Turn Computers That Are Once Owned By Sex Criminals Into Arcade Machines
You heard of turning guns into gardening tools. How about turning sex criminals’ computers into gaming machines for arcades. Like mentioned above; these computers are still resting in warehouses where computers are seized… awaiting destruction,–after a case is successful. However; it can be extremely tricky to convert these machines. If these machines are auctioned off. You may need to thoroughly wipe this machine clean when preparing this machine to be converted into arcade machines. You can also have your trusted friend do it for you.
With conversion to arcade machines, you can use your arcade revenue to support efforts to prevent sex trafficking of children/women. You can also support efforts to prevent production/trade/distribution of potentially unwanted CSAM on the internet.
You can let your customers know about your efforts to help prevent exploitation of children and women. Everyday, the DHS, the FBI crack down on child exploitation of any kind. Computers and other electronic devices are seized as evidence for possible criminal activity like sex crimes. Unfortunately, no computer has been repurposed for legal uses for the future. Untold, millions of computers are taking up space in police warehouses of any kind. Like computers, tablets, mobile phones, gaming consoles and other computer equipment are lying in these warehouses. Although; a sex offender can’t get his/her computer back (include laptops) because, they’re involved in sex crimes… Josh Duggar is one serious example! He was sent to prison for child pornography. He literally use a Linux partician to do these illegal stuff. Religion doesn’t make you above the law.
Repurposed seized computers for any sex crime cases that are successful can doesn’t just free up police warehouses, that can also help reduce the burden of purchasing new arcade equipment for growing arcades with people who use computers for gaming purposes.
Fictional Example
Josh-Michael is released from prison, but he must register as a sex offender for 40 years, he can’t possess a computer… unless he use it for business use. He must have monitoring software installed on it via his employer who is an administrator of a computer.
Annie launches an arcade. She orders computers from an auction as a way to get them converted into arcade machines as a way to raise money to support efforts to save children from being exploited.
Amanda is an arcade technician who builds arcade machines. She also repair machines when machines are used overtime. She convert seized laptops into tabletop arcade machines. Each machine honors a victim of child abuse, or any other sex crime. Each game is set to play an ad that focuses on efforts of saving children with genuine ad campaigns. After an ad is played, the game can be played, or a ride can be ridden.
Most of these computers come from a police warehouse, being repurposed as arcade machines.
On a plus side, these computers are put to good use, legal use.
Converting computers that are once used to distribute illegal pornographic content… to to gaming machines is a key to make a difference for children who were rescued from sex traffickers.
Making online pornography a thing of a past is key to clean up our internet. We have strict opposition to pornography because, we don’t support the porn industry.
Note
Always get help with a professional when repurposing these machines. You can also launch a non-profit business that is designated to repurpose seized computers (seized from sex offenders’ residential locations).
General Upcycling
Even computers can be upcycled as gaming arcade machines for your arcade when you switch out old computers for new ones. That can help reduce costs of running an arcade. That can also reduce the burden of hording computers that are no longer used for everyday use.
Turn your Old Computer Into A Book-Writing Station With Linux
You must have at least 4 GB of RAM in order to do this project.
If you have computers that are only 4 GB in RAM as a max, you can still give them new lives as an embedded system for writing books and other text-based content. Publishing books can be a fun thing to do as you give them new uses. For this instance, you can implement a computer lab for public customers. You can make them operate by coins… just like arcade machines! This is useful if you want to have paying customers to support your computer lab,–if an arcade is present.
With all of these upcycled computers, you can keep them active like renewed machines! That also help reduce mass production of these machines. That can be sustainable for your business, and that also help reduce the burden of buying new machines. FreeDOS is your best choice for old computers.
Virtually, any computer that is suitable for upcycling can get a new lease of life.
As A Kieosk For Your Kitchen
A PC for your kitchen can be useful for looking up recipes what you want to try out, but don’t look up rabbit meat recipes.!
Typically, computers are NOT found in kitchens, but books for cooking recipes.
