[G4] RE: SLEEP???????????????

[YOUR FRIEND, CHRIS]

hi guys -

issue one {as john mcloughlin sez}, and please don't laugh; how do i  
respond to a specific post? i'm using mac mail and  when i clicked on  
"message-ID" to reply, i get a new compose window - but nothing in  
the subject line, so i sent a new submission. please advise!

this subject is timely as i was just going to pose a similar  
question. i am writing this on my g4 450dp gigabit ethernet that i  
purchased new almost eight years ago to the day. still has the  
original bto "large" 40gb hard drive.
for over five years, i always had it set up to go to sleep as much as  
possible, along with the display. {apple studio 17" crt; the clear  
case one. the one i'm using now!}

about three years ago, i started reading more and more that what  
specifically wears out hard drives the most is the initial spinning  
up to speed, whether from sleep or to power up. ever since then i've  
been leaving my machine on virtually 24 hours a day, unless i'll be  
gone for more than 24 hours. {display goes to sleep in 15 minutes  
however}.
i've also encountered opinions stating that the heating and cooling  
cycles of going to and waking from sleep is detrimental to the  
overall computer itself.

now, if you've read any of my past posts {all in the form of  
questions} you KNOW i don't know a damn thing about computers!

but i do know a bit about high end stereo equipment, of which i'm  
fortunate enough to own a few components. when i bought my first  
{solid state} hi end components in 1985, i was advised to leave them  
on ALL the time to protect the internal components of the units from  
premature degradation and or failure due to heating and cooling  
cycles - not to mention obscene repair costs.

SO - for all intents and purposes my power amp, pre amp and tuner  
have NEVER been shut off since their purchase in 1985, unless i was  
leaving for more than 48 hours.

i am listening to them as i write this {lowell fulson!}.
they are still ALL original - not even a second of down time in over  
twenty years!  additionally, i've owned and played with a bunch of  
other high end components over the years and treated them exactly the  
same - without even one failure; unless having my pitbull knock over  
a bottle of porter into the guts of a tuner counts.   ;-)   but that  
wasn't the one i got in 1985 which is still perfect....

suffice to say, tube audio equipment is an entirely different  
situation, but as far as i know, computers haven't had tubes since  
about the year of my birth; 1954.

does anyone have any opinions as to the above experiences as to how  
they apply to computers?

thanks for "listening"

chris in ny