[G4] Two Qs -- synchronization & extending computer life

[Al Poulin]

On Mar 7, 2006, at 12:33 AM, g4-request at listserver.themacintoshguy.com 
wrote:

> Message: 5
> Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2006 21:52:13 -0700
> From: David Minger NPG Cable <davidminger at npgcable.com>
> Subject: [G4] Two Qs -- synchronization & extending computer life

> 2. For life of computer and energy costs -- is it better to leave my
> Macs on but put them to sleep rather than to shut them down and
> restart once or twice a day?

For energy costs, it is best to shut down completely.  The various 
types of sleep always use some energy.  For computer life, the best old 
wisdom, say 10 years ago, in my mind was to shut down for the night.  
One old controversy revolved around the hard drive(s), whether better 
to keep them turning and thus wearing out the rotating parts, or to 
start up repeatedly and wear out other parts.  Another controversy was 
whether it is best to keep the electronics warm full time or to subject 
them to the shock of warming up from cold.  Well, the best compromise 
in my mind seemed to be to limit start ups to one per day.

I still shut down for the night.

Today, some folks say the hard drives are more robust and that part of 
the argument becomes moot.  Note that with laptops, there are battery 
economy settings by which the hard drive shuts down frequently, after a 
few minutes of non-activity, and then must start up frequently when 
access to them is needed.  But I've not heard of any adverse effects on 
laptop hard drive life because of this.

By the way, printers have their own life questions.  For some, or most, 
it is best to turn them off routinely.  Constant running increases the 
attraction of dust to the innards and omits the beneficial 
self-cleaning process that comes with turning them on.

Al Poulin
Anger, hate, and revenge are for the devil, forgiveness is for God, 
proactive self-defense is for the rest of us.