221: Old Hardware, New Penguins: Installing Linux on All the Things | Linux Out Loud 123
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In this 123rd episode of Linux Out Loud, Wendy, Bill, and Nate dive into a spirited spring cleaning of their tech lives, celebrating the joy of breathing new life into old hardware through Linux. The hosts share personal adventures: Wendy prepares for a field trip to Chicago to mentor a group of young entrepreneurs behind FIRA Stack, a startup offering colocation and VPS services using repurposed servers. Bill recounts his deep dive into retro computing, installing Linux on a 2007 MacBook and a 2015 MacBook Air, both of which now run OpenSUSE Tumbleweed with impressive performance and battery life. Nate shares his own journey of reviving a Surface Pro 4 and 7 with Linux, despite hardware quirks like flaky screens and stylus issues, emphasizing the fun and educational value of the process. The conversation also touches on practical IT workflows, including the use of OS Ticket for ticketing, the challenges of smart home devices (especially Zigbee bulbs), and a major shift in recording tools—from Riverside to the open-source Video Ninja platform. The episode is a love letter to open source, sustainability, and the endless curiosity that drives Linux enthusiasts to keep tinkering. Key takeaways include: 1) Old hardware can be revitalized with Linux, offering cost-effective and sustainable computing solutions; 2) Open-source tools like OS Ticket and Video Ninja empower efficient, transparent workflows; 3) The joy of tech isn’t just in new gear—it’s in the challenge and creativity of making old machines work again; 4) Community-driven projects like FIRA Stack show the next generation is building real infrastructure with open source; 5) Embracing open source doesn’t mean abandoning convenience—it means choosing control and longevity over vendor lock-in. The episode radiates enthusiasm and optimism, celebrating the resilience and creativity of the Linux community.
Old hardware like 2007 MacBooks can run modern Linux distributions with excellent performance and battery life.
Open-source tools like OS Ticket and Video Ninja offer powerful, customizable alternatives to proprietary software.
Reviving discarded devices with Linux is a sustainable, educational, and fun practice.
Community-driven startups like FIRA Stack are building real infrastructure using open source principles.
The joy of Linux lies in the process of tinkering, problem-solving, and reclaiming technology.
Welcome to Episode 123: Spring Cleaning with Linux
The hosts kick off the 123rd episode with excitement over the milestone, reflecting on past episodes and sharing personal anecdotes, including a coffee prank that got noticed by a colleague.
FIRA Stack: A New Generation of Open Source Hosting
“I'm going to go out to their headquarters in Chicago this weekend and together we're going to build where business meets Linux. We're literally going to watch a Linux first business take off from the ground up.”
Bill’s Retro Computing Adventures: Linux on Old MacBooks
“It runs great with Plasma. Now I did end up putting MX Linux on here. And just because I was doing some for distribution testing and they needed something to throw it on there. This is a great MX Linux machine too, but as far as like... I'm actually really surprised how useful this machine is from 2007 doing modern workloads.”
Nate’s Linux Revival Project: Surface Pros and Macs
“I would not go out and buy any of these devices necessarily. I'd say maybe the MacBook 2007 is by far probably the best built of all of these. And by that, I mean it's most serviceable of all of them.”
Open Source Tools & Workflow Shifts
The hosts discuss their use of OS Ticket for IT ticketing, the move from Riverside to Video Ninja for recording, and the challenges and joys of open-source alternatives.
“I'm going to go out to their headquarters in Chicago this weekend and together we're going to build where business meets Linux. We're literally going to watch a Linux first business take off from the ground up.”
“It runs great with Plasma. Now I did end up putting MX Linux on here. And just because I was doing some for distribution testing and they needed something to throw it on there. This is a great MX Linux machine too, but as far as like... I'm actually really surprised how useful this machine is from 2007 doing modern workloads.”
“I would not go out and buy any of these devices necessarily. I'd say maybe the MacBook 2007 is by far probably the best built of all of these. And by that, I mean it's most serviceable of all of them.”
Hosts
bill
person
nate
person
wendy
person
opensuse tumbleweed
product
fira stack
organization
surface pro 4
other
video ninja
product
surface pro 7
other
os ticket
product
macbook 5,2
other
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