Any used computers kicking around?

I find myself with a renewed interest in setting up a VNC compatible Linux-based terminal server. I don’t want to use my existing laptop because (a) I don’t want to leave it all on the time and (b) I don’t want to expose it to possible attack from the wider internet. As such, I am looking for a fairly basic used system – PC or Mac – that someone is willing to let go cheaply. A computer that got relegated to a closet when a newer one was purchased might be perfect.

Do any readers in the Toronto/Ottawa/Montreal area have any such hardware kicking around? It only needs to be capable of running a virtual private network client, terminal server client, and web browser.

Author: Milan

In the spring of 2005, I graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in International Relations and a general focus in the area of environmental politics. Between 2005 and 2007 I completed an M.Phil in IR at Wadham College, Oxford. I worked for five years for the Canadian federal government, including completing the Accelerated Economist Training Program, and then completed a PhD in Political Science at the University of Toronto in 2023.

5 thoughts on “Any used computers kicking around?”

  2. Ideally, the server should be fanless and quiet, since it will be running most, if not all, of the time.

  4. A Mac Mini is small and can easily be tucked away. Also, setting up a VNC server in Leopard is dead easy.

    That said, a Mac Mini is fairly expensive.

  5. Try Craigslist.

    There is nothing suitable there now.

    A Mac Mini is small and can easily be tucked away. Also, setting up a VNC server in Leopard is dead easy.

    $650 is way more than I intend to spend on this thing. It really has a very limited range of purposes.

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