For children who show programming promise, that old PC can be the ticket to a bright, productive future. Most come with a version of the popular Apache Web Server, which is automatically set up during installation. With several months of self-education, a novice can gradually transform that old beige box into a valuable home network Web or intranet server. Many members of the North Texas Linux group are also using older machines as routers to extend high-speed connections throughout their homes. The OS has an Internet neighborhood all its own.
American ingenuity is evidently hard at work on beige box trash.
Some of the more creative uses are on display in specialty magazines and on Web sites. Mr. Lower, the Big Daddy of the genre, has built more than 50 of these attractive alternatives. Details of his construction plans are free. Mr. Lower also gives away his cat box specs. He is apparently the first person to locate a steady supply of colored iMac cases for his iMacquarium creation.