Quote:
Originally Posted by freebeard
That might be true of proprietary software, but with Free & Open Source software anyone (who can code) can improve the performance of old hardware. Witness [GNU-]Linux making old Windoze machines viable again.
And don't get me started on Blender. Cycles X has cut render times by a major fraction, and the Node Editor makes things possible that weren't [practical] before. On the same hardware.
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Yes and no. Android is free open source software. Yes, it is possible to get the latest version of Android working on any ARM machine, if you have the time and the knowhow. But that isn't always practical due to the way it's "drivers" have to be integrated into the OS. The only practical way around this is to install an already developed open source Android distribution, such as LineageOS. But even then, you have to make sure you have a supported device first and there's no guarantee it will be supported in the long run.
And sure, Linux is pretty good for older x86 machines (I suppose it would work on old x86 Mac's just as it does on old PC's). But the support for a lot of apps is missing on Linux, which is why I don't bother with it. I'd rather take an old Windows XP or Vista PC, or even an old Mac, pay $30 for a legally used and surrendered Windows activation key, and install Windows 10 on it. It might not be free or as snappy fast as Linux, but at least I can use it for what I need it for. As soon as the apps I use, or appropriate alternatives, are made available on Linux I will be willing to give Linux a try. Otherwise it's pointless.