you don't need to pay much for everything.

[randomtangent]

this might be a little 'mini-series' where each specific topic or whatever is split into multiple posts.

software

operating system
for starters GNU/Linux and BSD-based operating systems are good on an OS-level. they're generally free (and open-source) so you're not paying any licenses.
however - for older Windows and MacOS they're not as secure as modern versions sure, though there are antiviruses for them and modern browsers for them (like Supermium for Windows)

antiviruses like Avast and AVG are some that are acively updated and support older versions.

and for GNU/Linux and BSD-based OSes, desktop environment (DE) is especially important.
a more Windows-like DE would be Cinnamon, while more lightweight DEs would be XFCE, Budgie, LXQt and LXDE.

web browser
all browsers are free, so you're pretty much okay here already. but some tips for different browsers.

Supermium - good for older Windows, based on Chromium.
Pale Moon - jank but can work in some cases. tho don't expect it to work with many web pages.
Kmeleon - i think it's good, but i'm don't know a whole lot about this. but you can check it out.

it also depends on your specs, so say a very old computer would be best without anything hefty. Firefox lags a bit on my 2013 laptop already for example.

music
Audacious.
okay there's actually many different applications as well but imo Audacious is my personal favourite.

audacious is my personal favourite but there's also older WinAmp versions and older iTunes as well - again i don't know much about these, responses help!

with audacious, you can stream, however you can actually own the songs in some way (even offline!). piracy could help (but for legal reasons please advise against it) however you can use any songs you already own.
it also has visualisers and things, plus it's really lightweight.

this whole thing isn't perfect obviously since i'm still half-asleep but it's more for a general better idea. feel free to mention anything that could be added!

[randomtangent]

hardware

computers
often today companies like to make you think you need the latest and greatest hardware. even going as far to advertise how shitty a cheap laptop is to make it look good.

used laptops
used laptops can still be good, especially if you get them for a good price (or even free lmao)
unibody polycarbonate MacBooks, older Dell Latitudes, among others are still fine enough today. though you probably can't do Microsoft Teams on them, they're okay enough for this purpose.

a more lightweight Linux distro and a lightweight DE could make them feel almost new in a way. but please don't use Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or older MacOS on them!!! those are huge security risks, so please get GNU/Linux or a BSD-based OS.

used desktops
these have more flexibility.

you could swap out different parts, or even get older business/school desktops they might be throwing out.
if you're building one yourself, parts for these can be cheap like dirt.

(sorry if i'm spamming i just wanna make three posts here...!)

[randomtangent]

hardware (2 electric boogaloo)

game consoles
this one's a lot harder than with computers unfortunately.

nowadays most older consoles go for a fortune online, no matter where or what console it is. in my country 3DSes go for A$500 or higher easily simply because they're discontinued, even though they're not even ancient.

if you still have an older console, you might be able to do something with it.

homebrew
exactly what i meant by "you can do something with it."

Nintendo DSi, Wii, Wii U, 3DS/2DS, PlayStation Portable, most PS2 models, PS Vita, and PS3 are good for homebrew. they usually (if ever) require a mod chip of any sort, it can be purely software-based.
note if you have a very late-model PS2 slim you'll need a modchip or some other hardware mod for it. but any older PS2 model can be done normally.

installing custom firmware opens up lots more potential in older consoles.

also note for Nintendo DSes and all the Game Boy consoles you'll need a flashcart of some form for them as they don't have an SD card slot of any form!!

[AY38910]

music
Audacious.

Woah, same here! (it's unrelated to Audacity if anyone was wondering LOL)

you don't stream, so you need to actually own the songs in some way. piracy could help (but for legal reasons please advise against it) however you can use any songs you already own.
it also has visualisers and things, plus it's really lightweight.

Well, Audacious lets you listen to a .m3u stream pretty much like VLC does. Source: Kohina stream I play when working on stuff...in Audacious. I'll add details on how to do it once I'm on PC and not tablet.

[splashy]

this might be a little 'mini-series' where each specific topic or whatever is split into multiple posts.

software

operating system
for starters GNU/Linux and BSD-based operating systems are good on an OS-level. they're generally free (and open-source) so you're not paying any licenses or paying for a disc like Windows or MacOS.

you can always just go to massgrave.dev to download and activate every modern version of Windows if you don't mind dusting off the old pirate hat.

[arcus]

music
Audacious.
okay there's actually many different applications as well but imo Audacious is my personal favourite.

Two cool things about it; it's compatible with Winamp skins and module formats. The Winamp Skin Museum (requires Javascript) has a ton of skins and you can find modules on The Mod Archive.

you can stream, however you actually own the songs in some way (even offline!). piracy could help (but for legal reasons please advise against it) however you can use any songs you already own.
it also has visualisers and things, plus it's really lightweight.

It's a media player. Streaming with media players refers to listening to online radio stations, while playback refers to playing files in general. (I'm pointing this out because it might confuse someone, and not to be pedantic.)   

[PurpleHello98]

but please don't use Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, or older MacOS on them!!! those are huge security risks, so please get GNU/Linux or a BSD-based OS.

I mean they aren't as secure as newer OSes to be sure, but the security risks are often overblown by Microsoft/Apple in an attempt to get people to use their modern OSes when these older OSes do almost all basic tasks just as well as (if not better than) their modern counterparts. All the versions of Windows mentioned still have antiviruses like Avast or AVG actively updated with new definitions, and those OSes as well as older Mac OS versions have modern, fully up-to-date browsers available for them--Windows has Supermium, based on the most recent Chromium version, and OS X has Firefox Dynasty based off the most recent Firefox version, both of which include all related patches. As long as someone is relatively tech-savvy with on-line common sense (which people in this forum are most likely to be) and a good antivirus/firewall program it's not that big of a deal to use these older OSes.

[randomtangent]

hmmmm okay, i guess so.

it's just a bit of a warning since they both have security issues - maybe they are overblown, i dunno.
anyways i'll add all these to the posts! (^-^)

you can always just go to massgrave.dev to download and activate every modern version of Windows if you don't mind dusting off the old pirate hat.

yar-har diddledee ♩

[arcus]

I mean they aren't as secure as newer OSes to be sure, but the security risks are often overblown by Microsoft/Apple

I dislike Microsoft and Apple as much as the next guy, but they're not overstating the security risks here.

Anything, literally anything that's connected to the internet has a risk of infection. If you have a recent and decent modem that is properly configured and up to date, then your risk is incredibly reduced. More so if you have an up to date operating system. There's a massive swarm of bots crawling the internet that infect computers fully automated. The reason why older operating systems (XP especially) are targeted is because they will not get patched, and a lot of computers still run on them in various businesses.

When people say that you'll get viruses, they mean stealth ones. Not something that will wipe your hard drive. The most common use of these viruses are to DDoS sites, keylog, mine cryptocurrency, commit crimes, scrape the internet for AI training, and to search for more PCs to infect. Many do not show up in task manager. The only hints (if any) you'll have that something is amiss are your pc being slower and sites randomly asking you to fill out capchas.

All it takes for Windows XP to get infected is to have it connected to the internet. You don't need to browse the internet or anything, just have it connected to a network.

Antiviruses will only help with old viruses. Any updates will be for viruses for modern operating systems. Avast and AVG have discontinued support for XP.

If you want to use an older operating system offline, then there's nothing to worry about. If you really want to use something older online, at the very least do not use it for anything you want to keep private.