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Ask HN: Best computer that can't run a modern browser

14 points by bwestergard ↗ HN
I'd like to spend less than two hundred dollars on a machine that can run a Linux terminal, but is incapable of running a modern web browser. Extra points for something a bit stylish looking.

I realize I could simply not install a browser; I'm using this as a heuristic for a computer with very modest specifications.

32 comments

[ 3.9 ms ] story [ 73.9 ms ] thread
triyambakam
An older ThinkPad - stylish definitely and definitely under 200.
throwaway019254
I also recommend Thinkpad.

But how old Thinkpad it needs to be so it's not capable to run a modern browser? I have Thinkpad from 2010 (added SSD and some RAM) and it's running browser quite nicely.

Maybe the OP wants something even older?

rorroe53
Yes, OP should look at something from 2005, or original Raspberry pi. I've used a 2011 Thinkpad for web development with IntelliJ IDE, no major issues.
2b3a51
Need to check the graphics card.

Thinkpad X60 dual core 32bit (dothian?) CPU with Intel i915 graphics runs into problems with Firefox 113 because mesa 23.5 does not support that card. Falls back to llvmpipe (or at least it does on Slackware -current). In theory it should drop to 'Amber' driver (which is mesa 21.something packaged as a fall back) but it does not.

However... a Thinkpad T42 (radeon integrated graphics) which is a single core machine with a PATA mechanical hard drive remains remarkably sprightly. Not up to Firefox 113 though I'm using Seamonkey.

Another thought is the OS. OpenBSD cheerfully admit to limited attention to the i386 arch[1] and do not provide Firefox as a binary package for i386. I find Seamonkey with the legacy ublock origin is feasible on the machines above.

[1] https://www.openbsd.org/i386.html

[2] https://www.mail-archive.com/misc@openbsd.org/msg180687.html No firefox for i386 at least for 7.0

foobarbaz33
The original raspberry pi's struggled with browsers. And and they look super stylish with that clear case thing.
pella
any "Raspberry Pi" with 256 MB - is a perfect test machine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi

And there is an extra minimal alternative:

Raspberry Pi Pico ( 264 KB; available from $4 + https://github.com/asynts/pico-os )

"Raspberry Pi Pico comes with Dual-Core ARM Cortex M0+ processor, which can run up to 133MHz. It has 264KB of SRAM and 2MB of on-board flash storage, but we can extend up to 16MB of off-chip Flash memory via a dedicated Quad-SPI bus."

(alternative sw: https://github.com/topics/raspberry-pi-pico )

slondr
The pico is not a general purpose computer and cannot run linux
pella
maybe with a little hacking ..

"Raspberry Pi Pico RISC-V Emulator Runs Linux" ( 2 days ago )

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-pico-risc-v-e...

https://github.com/tvlad1234/pico-rv32ima

"This project uses CNLohr's mini-rv32ima RISC-V emulator core to run Linux on a Raspberry Pi Pico. It uses two 8 megabyte SPI PSRAM chips as system memory. To alleviate the bottleneck introduced by the SPI interface of the PSRAM, a 4kb cache is used. The cache implementation comes from xhackerustc's uc32-rvima project."

kaetemi
There are computers capable of running modern web browsers?
hello_computer
APU is x86 compat, up to 4GB RAM, mSATA, serial port, but no video. Buy an old VT term off an auction site to complete your browser-free experience.

https://www.pcengines.ch/apu4c4.htm

bryanlarsen
I'm fairly certain you could run a browser and output the display over X-Windows or VNC on one of those.
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frfl
I think you're conflating modern web browsers and the 'modern' (read 'bloated') web. I'm guessing the most recent version of Firefox or Chrome will run on very old hardware assuming the OS itself supports the hardware.

The real question, which is what you may be trying to ask, is what's the oldest hardware that will handle a modern bloated website. 3rd gen i5 on a 2012 Thinkpad struggles, but works fine, so you may wanna go back a few years before 2012 at least.

eesmith
My iMac from 2010 does pretty well on modern sites. I'm frankly astonished at how many recent releases still run on it, like Firefox and Skype.
accoil
I was just looking that up as I feel like browsers have gotten more performant over the years, just that websites have slown down. Both browsers claim a Pentium 4 as the min req. Firefox also wants 512mb ram for 32 bit systems, and 2gb for 64bit. Chrome doesn't say how much it needs, but is probably similar.

Should comfortable fit under 200.

ninefathom
Any of the late 90s / early 00s RISC platforms would be good for this. You could easily grab an AlphaStation, Sun Ultra, or pre-G3 PowerBook for such a purpose, and within your price range. Perfectly adequate for most non-browser tasks, and fun to learn if you're coming from the PC world.

Even the G3-G5 PowerMacs aren't really usable for modern web browsing anymore. The vanilla FOSS browsers aren't reliably building on them anymore, and even the "keep it usable" browser projects like TenFourFox are just barely scraping by performance wise on modern sites.

Note that your distro choices will be limited with these, but they all have at least a couple still available.

graymatters
I have a really awesome thinkpad from 2000 I’ll sell for exuberant amounts of money.
cpach
Maybe some old HP or Sun thin client? Can probably be found on eBay.
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illwrks
Why not just buy any old machine and install any headless Linux?
jonahbenton
Any computer at all, just about any linux distro, boot into console mode, and then run something like this

https://github.com/netxs-group/vtm

The point is that the GUI desktop environments of almost distros- even the lightweight ones- are expensive. A browser is just a uniquely heavy app.

But console mode will run on machines with only MB of RAM.

slondr
Pinetab or Pinebook Pro
jaredhallen
A little outside your price range, but looks like you can get an SGI Indy for around $300 on eBay.
sloaken
Any computer with a paper terminal for the display. Heck even a dumb crt terminal.

Or one without a display at all, just PUTTY.

zamnos
What attributes of "computer" are you looking for? The Remarkable 2 is definitely a "computer", but lacks many computer attributes, so it may not be what you're looking for, so it really depends on what you're looking for.

It meets the singular criteria of being incapable of running a modern web browser while having aspects of being a digital device.

https://remarkable.com/

aigoochamna
A thinkpad x220?
mkl
That will run modern browsers just fine. I have an X201 tablet which is slightly older than that, and I only stopped using it because of a CPU cooling issue. It ran Windows 10 and up-to-date Chrome no problem.
eternityforest
A Nintendo DS, Jucebox, or other hackable early 2000s toy, or a similar modern device(Maybe one of those emulator handhelds can do it) probably wins on price, style, and being cheap and low power enough to actually get the benefits of low specs.