[dba-Tech] What if Microsoft...

Good point, Hans. There's a store in my neighbourhood that's part of a
small chain (4 or 5) and they sell a lot of refurbished and off-lease
equipment for peanuts. It's amazing what can be had for < $100, tax
included. Some of them are even Windows 7 already. Swap Ubuntu or similar
in and suddenly it's a screamer. Way faster than a VM, too.

In my semi-retirement, I find myself doing work for various volunteer and
non-profit orgs, and in that scene money is critical, as in, we ain't got
any. If there's a copy of Word, chances are somebody brought it in. They
feel vaguely guilty, but in a rape-crisis centre MS is not a priority.
Still, they like the idea of cleaning up their act, and a quick tour of one
the Linux desktops and then one of the office OpenOffice or Libre, plus
proof that the printer still works, is about all it takes. Then when you
show them how many free apps are already installed and how many thousands
more are a few mouse-clicks away... All free? You're speaking our language!

It's really fun taking a dinosaur box and turning it into a perfectly
serviceable computer. Especially when it's old enough that it still has a
diskette drive, currently in use as a paperweight. :)
A.