Uses for an extra PC?

[dyazdani]

I've got the possibility of getting a spare (older) PC, probably a P3 CPU or so with around a 10GB had drive.

What fun uses exits for it? I've thought about installing Linux on it just for kicks. I could hook it up to my stereo as a networked music player maybe...

What do you think?

[Arneson]

Whatever you decide for the primary use you may consider a secondary use .
There are three distributed computing missions I'm aware of.
I personally have selected the Folding@home protien fold site for some of my old computers, I hope to cure Altsiemers.
The other two would be, Seti@home and a new one I saw called Stardust@home.
The new one is asking you to analyse the material brought back in the gel collectors from the sun.
You basically use your computers waisted power to:
a. cure disease
b. find ET's
c. locate sun particles

[Kevin P]

Toss Linux on it and use it as a firewall. Optional: add a caching proxy and caching DNS server to it.

Toss a big hard drive or three in it and use it as a media/file server.