待翻译：Got an Intel Mac? 6 ways you can repurpose it after support ends

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Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.ZDNET's key takeawaysThere are several options for your Intel-based Mac.Most of these options are free and give your Mac new life.When all else fails, use it or trade it in.I have an Intel iMac that is currently sitting in a closet. I can hear it sniffling and weeping as I type. It begs and pleads with me to take it out and at least snap a photo of it to be used for this article and serve as proof that it is still alive and kicking.It is still alive, and it still kicks fairly well. It runs Tahoe just fine, and I could easily pull it out, turn it on, and use it. The only reason it sits in the closet is that I purchased a Mac Studio, and I don't have room for it in my office now. Also: I tried buying a MacBook Air from Apple today - shipping was delayed by over a monthHowever, I often think about that iMac and what I could do with it should I finally pull it out and plug it in. That's right, there are options. But why should you be concerned about this? First off, Tahoe is the last update Intel-based Mac machines will be getting. That means there will be no new features, and some apps will most likely cease to function properly. Although this does not mean your iMac will give up the ghost (more on that in a bit), it does mean that you might want to consider other options for it. Here are a few. 1. Install Linux on it I've installed Linux on Macs before, and although it's not a perfect option (sometimes wireless and sound can be problematic), it certainly does bring new life to that old hardware. You see, installing Linux (especially a lightweight distribution such as Lubuntu) will make that old Mac feel young again. It'll run faster than it ever has, will receive updates for years to come, and will have even more options than it might have previously had. Even better, there are tons of software options you can run... all of them for free. Yes, there are trade-offs. For example, you won't get the same sync between your iPhone and your Apple Watch, and you won't be running Photoshop. But there are always alternatives (such as GIMP and Affinity). Also: 6 features I wish Linux would borrow from MacOS If you do decide to go this route, make sure to find out what year your Mac is and whether the distribution you want to install supports the wireless and Bluetooth chips. If it doesn't, purchase a supported Wi-Fi dongle or get a USB-C-to-RJ45 Ethernet jack adapter. 2. Use it as a home cloud server One option I'm considering for my iMac is installing Nextcloud on it and using it as my home cloud server. Typically, I run this server as a virtual machine, but with the more powerful specs on the iMac, I may as well use it as a home cloud server. Also: My favorite MacBook accessory gives my keyboard a simple but useful upgrade for cheapYou can install MAMP (MacOS, Apache, MySQL, PHP) on your Intel-based iMac, start the servers, download Nextcloud, and run the installer. That aging Mac will make for a great home cloud solution. On top of that, you can add all sorts of apps to Nextcloud and extend the feature set. You can add chat (video and audio), AI, project management, email, and so much more. Essentially, you can use Nextcloud to totally replace Google Workspace. 3. Use it as a home media server Maybe you don't need a home cloud solution, but a media server might be nice. Imagine having all your music and video files in one location so you can stream them to any device on your network. This is especially appealing if you have a large collection of digital music files (as I do) and don't want to be tied to your office desk to listen to them. Also: I converted this Mini PC from Windows to Linux, and it came alive. Here's how The good news is that doing this on a Mac is actually very easy. You can use one of my favorite media players, Elmedia, as a DLNA server. All you have to do is open the player, click the server icon, choose the device you want to stream to, open a file, and press play. The only caveat is that the free version will stream only five minutes of continuous media. To go beyond those five minutes, you have to purchase a pro license, which costs $19.99. Also: How to remove software from a Mac - and why you should do so regularly Or you could install the Kodi Media Server, which is a bit more complex but offers a lot more features. 4. Use it as a smart home dashboard If you've decked out your home with all sorts of smart devices, why not convert that crusty Mac into a home dashboard? By doing this, you can control all of those devices from a single location, simplifying everything. To do this, you'll need to install HomeKit and the Home app. When installing HomeKit, make sure to follow the instructions to a T; otherwise, you might have trouble getting everything to work properly. You'll also want to activate two-factor authentication to ensure everything is secure. Also, make sure your Intel-based Mac runs Mojave or later (as any prior release will not work). Also: Apple HomeKit: What it's like to go all-in with Apple's smart home platform Setting up your old Mac as a home dashboard will give you years of trouble-free home automation. 5. Keep using it Here's a novel idea: Just keep using it. Okay, hear me out... Your Intel-based Mac may not receive new features or even a new version of MacOS, but it will continue to receive security updates until around 2028. Although that's not forever, it'll still allow you to use it for a couple more years. When those two years are up, consider using your Mac for one of the above options. During that period, if an app stops functioning, you can always find an alternative (such as LibreOffice for Pages, GIMP for Photoshop, etc.). Also: How to qualify for Apple's education discount - and get a $499 MacBook Neo for schoolOnce your Mac no longer receives security updates, I would highly recommend that you install Linux on it to keep using it safely. 6. Trade it in The final option is to trade it in. Although you won't get a lot in exchange for that Intel-based Mac, you'll get something, and something is better than nothing. For example, an iMac can fetch up to $355 in trade-in value and a MacBook Pro up to $690. Those trade-in values can cover shipping and taxes on a new purchase.