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My current computing needs are somewhat limited. I send and receive messages using various protocols; I read text-based articles and wikis; I watch locally-stored media as well as YouTube videos; I tinker with home projects; I peruse local and world maps; I store and organize local data; and of course I add content to my Gemini capsule and browse Gemini space.
This capsule is served using a Raspberry Pi 1B. I have another 1B sitting in my closet gathering dust. Part of me is tempted to try using the low-powered Pi as a daily-driver desktop computer.
Of the tasks I do, watching media and looking at maps (for which I currently use Google Earth Pro) would probably be the most difficult to do on a Pi. There are no ARM builds of Google Earth Pro that I'm aware of, and the limited processing power of the Pi would make almost any media playback slow and choppy. There are workarounds for the latter, however, and the former can be resolved through the use of tools such as NASA Worldwind.
There is also the question of what OS to use on the Pi. Raspberry Pi OS, FreeBSD, Gentoo, and a handful of other UNIX-like systems still support the 1B, which is already eight years old. My options for support, and my selection of ARM-compatible programs, might be severely constrained.
It may not be feasible to use a device that old for daily computing tasks. I'd hate to see it go to waste, though. I dream of simplifying my usage of technology to the point where I barely even notice if my device is old or underpowered. I want to cut down on my power usage and my reliance on computers for everything from productivity to entertainment. I feel like a tiny, slow device like a 1B would adequately push me in that direction.
If i simply find the 1B unusable, maybe it could be used as a second server. There's also a Pi 3 that sits in the closet next to it.
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[Last updated: 2021-10-28]