I put Ubuntu on my old laptop,
hoping to eke out some usability. It is probably twice as fast as XP. But on this laptop, that’s like saying corn syrup pours faster than molasses. Oh well.
Comments:
Thanks for the tip, Will ... but I’m beginning to think it’s time to retire the old beast. It’s not even a good doorstop [nothing beat the Mac Plus for that].
I hear you...I always love the idea of recycling/maintaining (if only computers could be like Volvos), but in practice, I generally want a new computer. It’s amazing how quickly we take them for granted these days.
And that’s a very interesting point.
We ‘hooked in’ folks forget that a lot of people aren’t handicapping social media channels. I have a client who’s buying her *first* computer. She’s used others, of course, and uses one at work ... but never had the need (or desire) to buy one for her own home use. All the stores/services don’t know how to support her ... they expect wifi and Windows knowledge is bred in the bones these days.
Too true. I keep thinking there has to be a massive market for someone who can figure out how to simplify tech for older people (so many have tried...).
Will, that’s called an iPad or maybe a Kindle Fire 
They have to WANT to learn it. That’s an insurmountable hurdle I have observed in older friends and acquaintances of mine. Even iPad or Kindle Fire are non-starters to people who’ve decided it’s all beyond their abilities and not worth their effort of learning. You’d be surprised how many of these folks are out there!
LOL, @BillSaysThis. And @Evelyn, I agree totally...it seems to be a cultural fear…
Evelyn, YES. They’ve made a conscious decision that it’s TOO HARD, and refuse to even try.
Unless one can pile rewards higher than the mental barrier. Then watch it crumble.
Hard to do, but when it works, it works good.
There is a version of Ubuntu intended for your exact situation.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/241394/want_to_revive_an_old_netbook_try_lubuntu.html
Next entry: NY Times: Meet the New Super People. >>
Try one of the ultra-small ones like Damn Small or Puppy. Even Ubuntu is fairly bloated, really. The challenge can be whether they play nice with your hardware, but most of them are getting pretty good these days. One challenge with my older laptop: I have to plug into an ethernet line initially until I can load the right wifi driver.
Good luck!