Re: OT

The Natural Philosopher <[email protected]> Sat, 22 Aug 2026 23:41:24 +0100
Newsgroups	comp.os.linux.misc
Organization	A little, after lunch
Message-ID	<[email protected]>
On 22/08/2026 20:28, rbowman wrote:
> On Sat, 22 Aug 2026 03:20:19 -0400, c186282 wrote:
> 
>>     Ummm ... if they broke ONCE they'll break AGAIN.
>>
>>     "Refurbs" for sale are a big NEGATIVE for the particular product
>>     IMHO.
> 
> So far so good with the refurbished Levovo T480 I bought. I originally was
> going to buy another mini but the Lenovo was $200 and had better specs
> than the low end minis plus being self contained.
> 
> For electronics a refurb might mean a quick wipe and OS reinstall.
No wipe, Original disk removed and crushed before they are sold to the 
refurb peole

My Ex's BIL worked mainly for IBM supervising office and machine room 
upgrades and transfers.

Every few years the PCs are collected, written off the books, and sold 
to a contractor whose contract is null and void if any disk with data on 
it ever re surfaces. They are removed and crushed and then the machines 
go to the refurb people who put new disks in and install Windows 
whatever. If the machine is working they clean it up, If its scuffed up 
they sell it cheaper

These machines are not on the market because they are U/S. They are on 
the market because some service company who supplied then on a contract 
hire basis, or some company who has a service policy, decided that they 
were too old to actually be covered by a service contract, and they had 
already depreciated off the asset register anyway so were technically 
worthless.

The company makes a small paper profit selling them on in bulk

> Technically most of the Linux boxes at work were refurbs. As Win10
> machines that couldn't be upgraded were replaced, IT would wipe the drives
> and give them to programming. And run.  They didn't want to know anything
> about Linux.

Yes. That is another reason these machines are sold on. Too old to run 
the latest shite from Gates et al.

Surprised your company repurposed them.,

-- 
“Ideas are inherently conservative. They yield not to the attack of 
other ideas but to the massive onslaught of circumstance"

    -  John K Galbraith