What is written on this page from the third paragraph down is what I wrote more than a year ago on June 1, 2000, and all of the specifications have changed as I write this on October 14, 2001. I have made changes so often to the computers that I use that I have given up enumerating the specifications here. The hardware in them still is not anywhere near state of the art, it doesn't have to be. The parts and operating systems have been changed quite often. I am still using Linux as well as Microsoft Windows 95. I have used newer versions of Microsoft operating systems as I have set up and sold computers with them. But for my own use Windows 95 is sufficient since I use Linux much more often. One of my computers has RedHat Linux and Slackware Linux, the other one has just Slackware Linux. Besides being more stable, Linux is also less expensive since it is legal to obtain it for free. The Microsoft operating systems that I have installed are all legal and paid for. I usually buy Linux instead of downloading it from sites on the internet. As such the full Linux operating system has cost me anywhere from $7.99 to $39.99 each, shipping included. At those prices it's easy to have the newest versions of Linux, and I usually do have the newest versions of Linux.
I have left what follows as a marker for what a representative of an older, in-use computer was in June of the year 2000.
(June 1, 2000)-My computer has three physical hard drives divided into eight virtual hard drives. Three of the virtual drives are DOS-Windows95 and five are Linux. This is a completely homemade computer. Parts get replaced, added, or upgraded as required, and finances allow. It will be a Pentium or equivalent sooner or later. For now it's a 486 at 120 MHz and it's faster than some pre built Pentiums running at up to 166 MHz. No, it's not over clocked. I don't think that the risk is worth a slight speed increase.
Many people think that the company that they buy their computer from uses parts-- boards, drives, memory, etc., that the computer company made. Most companies don't. Most don't even make the case. The parts in my computer were bought from a variety of manufacturers. None of the internal parts have the name of any computer manufacturer. The main parts are from Mitsumi, Memorex, Trident, Memory Express, New-Com, AMD, Shuttle, Seagate, Maxtor, and JTS. To top that, the New-Com parts weren't made by New-Com. The New-Com parts are made by other companies. The sound card is an ESS design, but sold by New-Com.
Notice that I didn't list any Intel part? The CPU in my computer is made by AMD, not Intel. It doesn't have an "Intel inside" sticker on the case, and it works perfectly.
jv