OT - for the Mac users

When I was a PC, I learned that it's a good thing to leave it on 24/7 as
the gremlins inside that make it go like to be nice and warm. So I did,
and all was well with that approach.

Does the same thing apply now that I'm a Mac? Or is that now a totally
'bad' idea? I would allow the display to go into sleep mode, but not
turn off the OS itself.

What think ye?


Karen, Queen of Squishies

When I was a PC, I learned that it's a good thing to leave it on
24/7 as the gremlins inside that make it go like to be nice and
warm. So I did, and all was well with that approach.

Does the same thing apply now that I'm a Mac? Or is that now
a totally 'bad' idea? I would allow the display to go into sleep
mode, but not turn off the OS itself.

The hardware is not that different, but in sleep mode it'll be
using so little power it won't noticeably warm itself. It doesn't
make much difference. Macs usually start up *much* faster than
Windows machines, so there's not the same inconvenience involved
in having it off when you need it on.

Printers can use a lot more power than computers when they're simply
sitting there waiting to do something.

The last computer I used where keeping it on was really important
was an ICL/Three Rivers Perq workstation back in the 1980s. The
disks would often expire if they stopped. And those things used
about a kilowatt each.

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

On Jan 17, 4:41*pm, "Karen, Queen of Squishies"
wrote:
When I was a PC, I learned that it's a good thing to leave it on 24/7 as
the gremlins inside that make it go like to be nice and warm. *So I did,
and all was well with that approach.

Does the same thing apply now that I'm a Mac? *Or is that now a totally
'bad' idea? *I would allow the display to go into sleep mode, but not
turn off the OS itself.

What think ye?

Karen, Queen of Squishies

I shut my Mac laptop off after every use. It starts so quickly that it
is almost as if it is on. On the other hand my wife shuts her pc off ,
and it is like waiting for the second coming to happen before hers is
ready to go again. Just from a mechanical standpoint, I am supposing
that any wear and tear on the computer from starting and shutting
down, would be less than starting and leaving it run indefinitely. All
those little bearings spinning endlessly would wear out faster, if
left on, it seems to me. But maybe it is different with computers,
than other engines. Most engines, seem to have maintenance intervals
based on time run, rather than time owned.

John

In article lgscl.529064$yE1.114847@attbi_s21,
"Karen, Queen of Squishies" wrote:

When I was a PC, I learned that it's a good thing to leave it on 24/7 as
the gremlins inside that make it go like to be nice and warm. So I did,
and all was well with that approach.

Does the same thing apply now that I'm a Mac? Or is that now a totally
'bad' idea? I would allow the display to go into sleep mode, but not
turn off the OS itself.


I have an iMac. The suggestion is to leave it on unless you are not
going to use it for several days. It will be quite happy in sleep mode.

Martha

The Mac does some of its system maintenance at night, so it's good to leave
it on overnight at least once in a while. Keeping it warm is NOT an issue
with the Mac. (I put mine in sleep mode to save energy.)

--
Kathy A. (Woodland, CA)
Queen of Fabric Tramps

remove the obvious to reply
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathyapplebaum/


"Karen, Queen of Squishies" wrote in message
news:lgscl.529064$yE1.114847@attbi_s21...
When I was a PC, I learned that it's a good thing to leave it on 24/7 as
the gremlins inside that make it go like to be nice and warm. So I did,
and all was well with that approach.

Does the same thing apply now that I'm a Mac? Or is that now a totally
'bad' idea? I would allow the display to go into sleep mode, but not turn
off the OS itself.

What think ye?


Karen, Queen of Squishies

We have only ever had Mac's at our house. My husband is THE Original
Computer Geek! LOL So.... I have been trying to understand for ages,
why we have to leave the computers on all the time, he has explained
it to me, several times, and I never completely "got it" and when I
saw this thread, I kept watching to see if somebody else here "got
it"....

so he just tried to explain it to me again, this is the part I
"got"...

tin whiskers. Yep, you read it here, Tin Whiskers.

Something to do with the electrical surge each time you charge (turn
on) and discharge (turn off) the CPU.....blah, blah, blah, creating
some neo atomic stalagtytes and/or stalagmytes which over time, touch
each other and short circuit the CPU's brain, blah, blah, blah.....

I think it's what happens if you go to kiss your husband good night
and he hasn't trimmed his moustache recently and you get one of those
yucky fuzzies. Yep, that's got to be what it is.... tin whiskers!

I used to think I was pretty intelligent, but sometimes he can really
make me feel like such an airhead!

I think I'll just keep leaving my Mac turned on.....as the bumper
sticker says, "I leave my Mac turned on, and it returns the favor!"
Ha ha ha.

Tina, on the Mac mini tonight

Tina wrote:
tin whiskers. Yep, you read it here, Tin Whiskers.

Yep, tin whiskers do really exist - they can slowly grow from the solder
and eventually could cause a short circuit. Tin whiskers are also more
likely to grow from lead-free solder (that's lead the metal, not lead as
in cable ;-) ) Guess what sort of solder now has to be used in almost
all industries in the EU - that's right, lead free (and chances are that
the manufacturers have switched all their computer boards to lead free -
why run 2 systems?). So with newer computers it is more likely to
become a problem :-(

Lizzy

In article lgscl.529064$yE1.114847@attbi_s21,
"Karen, Queen of Squishies" wrote:

When I was a PC, I learned that it's a good thing to leave it on 24/7 as
the gremlins inside that make it go like to be nice and warm. So I did,
and all was well with that approach.

Does the same thing apply now that I'm a Mac? Or is that now a totally
'bad' idea? I would allow the display to go into sleep mode, but not
turn off the OS itself.

What think ye?


Karen, Queen of Squishies


I'm a bit late answering this, as I've had a major problem lately (dead
logic board -- to the tune of $1025. I'm *so* glad for AppleCare, which
meant that I paid exactly $0 for the new logic board, though I was
without my computer from Saturday to just about an hour ago. G

Anyway, leaving your computer on is actually not a bad idea. For one
thing, the OS will run certain "routines" overnight to make sure that
everything is working right; they don't run otherwise. Some of those
routines are daily, some weekly, some monthly.

That said, sometimes a restart is a good idea, just to clear out stuff
from temporary memory or to free up RAM from being used.

So I'd suggest that you should leave it on *most* of the time, with
occasional restarts. G That's what I do.

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sw.foster1 (at) gmail (dot) com (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net

When I was a PC, I learned that it's a good thing to leave it on 24/7 as
the gremlins inside that make it go like to be nice and warm. So I did,
and all was well with that approach.
Does the same thing apply now that I'm a Mac? Or is that now a totally
'bad' idea? I would allow the display to go into sleep mode, but not
turn off the OS itself.
Anyway, leaving your computer on is actually not a bad idea. For one
thing, the OS will run certain "routines" overnight to make sure that
everything is working right; they don't run otherwise. Some of those
routines are daily, some weekly, some monthly.

That was true with versions of MacOS before OS X, it isn't the case
any more. (You can always schedule certain activities to happen in
the middle of the night if you want, but the system doesn't do that
for you).

The issue of whisker formation is actually backwards from the way
it was described here. The longer the machine is on, the more the
solder and silicon will migrate to places they shouldn't be, so
keeping the machine off when it isn't in use will help prevent this
problem. The only things that don't like frequent stops and starts
are moving parts, like switches and disks.

==== j a c k at c a m p i n . m e . u k === http://www.campin.me.uk ====
Jack Campin, 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland == mob 07800 739 557
CD-ROMs and free stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, and Mac logic fonts

Jack Campin - bogus address wrote:


The issue of whisker formation is actually backwards from the way
it was described here. The longer the machine is on, the more the
solder and silicon will migrate to places they shouldn't be, so
keeping the machine off when it isn't in use will help prevent this
problem. The only things that don't like frequent stops and starts
are moving parts, like switches and disks.

And fans... But they don't like to be on constantly either. Ever had
to pick chunks of disintegrated fan out of your heat sink?

Also, if the machine is switched off, it's less likely to he hijacked
for nafarious resmailing purposes...

--
Kate XXXXXX R.C.T.Q Madame Chef des Trolls
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.katedicey.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!