SHAOS » distributed_computing https://shaos.net/blog { Personal Blog of Shaos } Mon, 04 Aug 2025 00:15:41 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.1 Power Mac G3 for 10 bucks! https://shaos.net/blog/2009/06/power-mac-g3-for-10-bucks.html https://shaos.net/blog/2009/06/power-mac-g3-for-10-bucks.html#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2009 19:47:00 +0000 http://shaos.net/blog4/?p=34 Recently I bought Power Mac G3 (300MHz, 64MB RAM, Ethernet, CD-ROM and no HDD) for $9.99 (plus shipping $32.50):

To make it working I added CompactFlash 2GB (around $10) and CompactFlash-to-IDE adapter (around $5):

Adapter has female IDE connector to allow connection direcrly to motherboard. Also I put new battery ($5) there:

Then I installed Debian Linux on it and got working 300MHz PowerPC G3 system for below than $70. I think it’s pretty cheap ;)

]]> https://shaos.net/blog/2009/06/power-mac-g3-for-10-bucks.html/feed 0 G4 Cube https://shaos.net/blog/2009/02/g4-cube.html https://shaos.net/blog/2009/02/g4-cube.html#comments Sat, 07 Feb 2009 07:00:00 +0000 http://shaos.net/blog4/?p=29 Finally I did it – I bought G4 Cube for myself! $250 (plus shipping) for PowerPC G4 450 MHz system is a little bit expensive, but it’s CUBE:

It even has “cracks” (as probably all G4 cubes ;)

Of course I put Debian GNU/Linux on it and removed MacOS 9.2 that was preinstalled there.

One strange (for me) thing about G4 Cube is its power button that is not a button at all…

Now I can measure power usage of my electric devices, and as we can se Cube eats only 30 watts (actually it goes between 25 and 45 watts):

Probably I will use this G4 Cube in my home “grid” network for distributed computing…

Updated: Cube became black!

]]> https://shaos.net/blog/2009/02/g4-cube.html/feed 0 Used PowerMac G4 400MHz https://shaos.net/blog/2008/04/powermac-g4-400mhz.html https://shaos.net/blog/2008/04/powermac-g4-400mhz.html#comments Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:57:00 +0000 http://shaos.net/blog4/?p=10 Today I got my Power Mac G4 400 MHz for $150 (incl.shipping)! It’s a nice system from 1999 that has 256 MB RAM, 13.7 GB HDD, CD-ROM, 10/100 Ethernet, USB keyboard & mouse and 3 free PCI-slots.

I’ve just installed Debian 4.0r3 from “Businesscard-CD” (computer was delivered with MacOS 9.2 onboard). Probably I will do some upgrades as second Ethernet interface, additional memory and new battery for clock. I plan to use it as router and home web-server and may be as node for my “homebrew” distributed computing network…

]]> https://shaos.net/blog/2008/04/powermac-g4-400mhz.html/feed 5 "Game of Life" evolution network https://shaos.net/blog/2008/04/game-of-life-evolution-network.html https://shaos.net/blog/2008/04/game-of-life-evolution-network.html#comments Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:52:00 +0000 http://shaos.net/blog4/?p=9 Some time ago I registered domain LifeGE.net. Main idea of LifeGE.net was creating place to discuss some techniques for automatic design of some Conway’s Game of Life patterns for implementation of real computer over Game of Life. I plan to use genetic algorithms for search of that patterns and also I need help of Internet people and their CPU cycles ;)
P.S. You can read about cellular automata “Conways’s Game of Life” on Wikipedia.

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