Went to a local library in Springfield and saw their public computer setup

Honestly, I was dropping off some books last week and noticed they have about 20 public computers all running Windows 10. The thing is, they're still using those old, bulky Dell OptiPlex 3020 towers from like 2014, and every single one had the same cheap, wired keyboard and mouse combo. It just made me think about how public spaces often keep hardware way past its prime because the budget isn't there. I know those machines are probably a pain to keep running. Has anyone else had to deal with maintaining a bunch of old public computers? What's the best way to keep them going when you can't just replace them all?

2 comments

2 Comments

holly_green8212d ago

Actually, those old OptiPlex towers are built like tanks and way easier to fix than new all-in-ones.

ninabutler12d ago

My old OptiPlex 755 from 2008 is still running my home file server. You can swap the hard drive in under a minute with just one screw. Modern computers feel like they are designed to be thrown away, not repaired. That kind of simple design saves so much money and waste over time. I miss when you could actually own and fix your own stuff.