July 05, 2017 at 07:41PM

Reddit scan:I'm kicking around the idea of starting a non-profit in Los Angeles that's focused around computers/electronics.The mainstay is to take in older machines, clean them up, put Linux Mint on them (not Windows) and then offer them for sale at low prices for people who need/want a computer but can't afford or don't want to pay much.It'll be combined with an e-waste center as well as offer classes in computers (basic usability) for free or low cost. Along with that is hands-on opportunities to volunteer and learn how to disassemble, rebuild, repair, clean, and maintain computers. Volunteers can, if they want, trade hours for hardware.We also want to provide an open space for people to utilize as a makerspace/hackerspace. This is less a "we have a bunch of tools and materials, come do stuff with them" and more providing the space for people to meet and (funds and materials being available) donating extra hardware for people to use and experiment with.It's ambitious but I see this filling a space that not a lot of places do and the places that do are either generally inaccessible unless you've got money or are already part of some other institution like a workplace or a school.Is an organization like this something you'd find useful or valuable? http://ift.tt/2sNMO3Q by Towson Makerspace