Non-Linux OSes hardware support, a sad story

My country is just not the US.
I totally appreciate where you are coming from. In many countries $10 is alot of money.
So I feel bad that you can't afford to buy new hardware to use FreeBSD.
I get it. So use the best tool you can find.
You will find that FreeBSD USB wireless is terrible with only 802.11G on some popular sticks.
Plus only one channel and very tiny antenna.
They are useful for around 7 meters depending on competing AP channel signals.
I would consider them last resort.

What I would like to see is a donation system for people not in the US/EU that need hardware.
How much stuff gets 'recycled' that is still usable elsewhere. Instead smashed for tiny bits of gold.

To me Core2Duo is the lowest I would go for an embedded machine. I retired all my DDR1 rigs.
 
How much stuff gets 'recycled' that is still usable elsewhere. Instead smashed for tiny bits of gold.

I also imagine it is within hardware companies best interests to reduce the amount of "old" hardware in circulation so that everyone has to buy new.
So they probably dismantle it all on purpose so people cannot access perfectly good stuff any more.

I like to think we are sending this stuff off to 3rd world countries to teach people about tech to improve their lives but in reality business and money takes priority and they get nothing :(
 
I like to think we are sending this stuff off to 3rd world countries to teach people about tech to improve their lives but in reality business and money takes priority and they get nothing :(
I think they are even worse off than we are in North America. People are not educated to treat or use computers as tools. They only want fashionable stuff - that is the priority.
 
Don't take it too far. I'm totally possible to afford that $10 or even more. I'm not that poor. What I lack is knowledge and the fact is there're so much products to choose, most of them too new (and not supported) because we're just next to China, the world's factory. Price is also affordable here despite there're so many type of taxes. Don't waste effort and keep it to help your own country first. Don't let your kind heart being abused by corrupted people and leading to nowhere and help no one.
 
It's OK to recycling old but still usable hardware and send it to help 3rd world children access to technology. But send to the right place and to the right people and made sure you could verify it. New but cheap hardware, thanks to China, now more widely available and affordable. Made sure if they really need it before you started that donation system.
 
I 'trick' I've used in the past is if you have a phone that you can tether to using a USB/micro-usb cable link and the phone can wireless connect to your router ... then sorted.
 
Like the title, it's sad. I have to abandon FreeBSD only because I no longer have access to the internet cable, having to use wifi with an old desktop PC and my wifi dongle doesn't supported by FreeBSD.

Extremely useless whining and completely pointless. The guy is using a desktop PC, so here is the recipe to solve the issue:

1. Take a look at the compatibility list and find a couple of compatible USB dongles you like
2. Buy the dongle new or used, I guess $10 to $20 should do it.
3. Insert new dongle and use Wi-Fi. Takes 2 minutes, much quicker than installing a new OS.
4. Spare us the lament.
 
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