philo wrote
Robert Heiling wrote
Grinder wrote

My local public library has a pile of antiquated PCs. There might
be a couple of 486s in the pile, but suspect most are 386s. Since
no one has the courage to just discard these crappers, we've
managed to find a charity that will take any PC, "as long as it works."

Are you so sure that's the right thing to be doing to a charity?
Are the people at the charity knowledgeable about such things?
If they expect to be able to sell them to generate funds for the
charity, they will be quickly disappointed. If they expect to use
them themselves, they will probably be similarly disappointed.
In the end, the charity will be the one paying the bill for the
disposal of hazardous waste. FWIW

There still is a use for older machines...

Bugger all for 386s by operations like that.

over the past few years I must have taken in
dozens of 486's and P1's with win95 on them.

Different matter to 386s by operations like that.

Though they can be made internet capable...
they are quite useful to someone who just needs a
word processor... or to be used with "simple" games.

Those are, but 386s arent anymore.

Great for kids or people who are just beginning to use a computer...

Nope, not 386s.

Anyone who is "computer-phobic" seems to relax
a bit if you give them an old machine for learning on...
and told that the machine has zero value...
so "if you break it...no big deal."

Thats true of 486s and and P1, no point in farting around with 386s anymore.

In the time that I've been doing this...
few of the people have done any damage to their machines...
and most of them moved on, eventually to something better.

So it would make a lot more sense to start
with something better and not be stuck with 95.

BTW: I just gave an spare floppy drive to a friend of mine...
who's mother still uses a 286 and word perfect!

Irrelevant to how much sense that makes.