Yep. A 10 year old computer can still rock and roll... sort of.
On the screenshot below you can appreciate a rather functional XP installation, consuming... a stunningly moderate 47 MB of RAM after startup. Make my day.

Throw in the following, and you will have a fully functional computer for your basic household activities:

• Open Office (free Office suite)
• Firefox 3.0 (with noscript and adblock extensions - which alleviate the charge imposed by heavyweight internet sites)
• 7-zip (file compression utility)
• IrfanView (Images viewing and basic management)
• Fox-It Reader (for PDF consultation)

The computer shows its limitations (i.e. the CPU can easily go to 100% usage), but the interface is always snappy and the computer can be worked with without much effort or patience: the overall experience is one of usability.

Now if only I could find a true lightweight Antivirus Software the joy would be complete. Any ideas ?

-art-