Keeping those old PCs (or netbooks) moving along

Plenty of us have old PCs stuck in the corners of classrooms, machines we just can't afford to replace and whose owners just can't do without. At the same time, more and more of us are rolling out netbooks and inexpensive hardware instead of investing in the latest and greatest "Vista-capable" computers. My usual answer to this would be "Linux! Yay!"

But do we really need to install Xubuntu on a 7-year old computer when it's running just fine on Windows 98 or Windows 2000? Obviously, there are security risks to running these dated operating systems, but oftentimes, it's more important for us just to keep people functional. Perhaps the machines are only used for word processing or accessing specific applications with minimal Internet access (if a computer only hits your student information system and sits behind an adequate firewall, chances of a breach are pretty low).

Or maybe your teachers bought netbooks for themselves and had XP Home installed, no matter how many times you suggested they purchase the Linux model. To that end, there is some very lightweight software available to maximize the utility of aging machines or low-end netbooks (and it runs on Windows!). Tech Radar featured a cool roundup of ultra-light applications for aging PCs. I won't reprint them all here, but I will highlight the apps most appropriate for educational settings:

1. Word Processing - AbiWord 2.6 Boasting most of the same functionality as Microsoft Word 2003, AbiWord is free and light on its feet. Needing only a paltry 16MB of RAM, it runs on Windows 2000 upwards. You can grab an earlier version for Windows 98 if your machine is really wrinkly. [Also a great choice on Linux; it isn't a full office suite, but it's a very fast word processor]
2. Graphics - IrFanView 4.23 Forget about Photoshop and even its open source rival The GIMP - IrfanView's the photo editor to choose on underpowered platforms. With support stretching back to Windows 95 it opens and saves dozens of image formats, with batch editing, cropping resizing and other basic photo manipulation tools built in.
3. Coding - NoteTab Light Looking for a seriously lightweight coding tool? NoteTab Light does the job. A text editor that's optimised for working with HTML and CSS, it has features like code snippets, HTML tidying and auto-correction. It'll run happily on Windows 98 upwards - Windows 95 too if you use the help file patch.
4. Video - VLC Media Player Judging media players is difficult as they're only ever as fast and reliable as the data you try to squeeze through them. VLC Media Player is portable. though, has a small footprint and - though it will struggle to play full HD video on older systems - it's perfect for DVDs and MP3s on Pentium class computers. [This will take care of all of your video needs on Linux machines and Macs, too, regardless of file type]
5. PDF Reader - Sumatra PDF PDFs have become the industry alternative to printed documentation - but Acrobat Reader, Adobe's free tool for opening PDFs, is something of a resource hog. Enter Sumatra PDF - nimble on its feet and stripped of bells and whistles, it's a fast loading alternative to Adobe's offering. [Think Preview on a Mac]
6. Instant Messaging - Pidgin Multiple messaging clients scoff your system resources, so switching to a single, universal IM tool makes sense. Pidgin does the job well, with support for AIM, Google Talk, Yahoo!, MSN and more. [I'd only recommend this one on those netbooks, by the way; IM is just too risky on older machines]