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From: thad@public.BTR.COM (Thaddeus P. Floryan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware,comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: Re: TURN COMPUTER OFF OR LEAVE ON?
Message-ID: <3026@public.BTR.COM>
Date: 11 Jun 91 12:06:28 GMT
References: <1991Jun3.194555.3525@newserve.cc.binghamton.edu> <1991Jun3.212159.27391@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> <1991Jun4.082135.15082@gorm.ruc.dk> <1991Jun7.202123.2051@athenanet.com>
Followup-To: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Organization: BTR Public Access UNIX, Mountain View CA
Lines: 34

In article <1991Jun7.202123.2051@athenanet.com> kabra437@athenanet.com (Ken Abrams) writes:
>[...]
>Anyway, the general consensus of people that seem (to me) to have a
>good head on their shoulders is something in the 4 to 8 hour range.
>Like your light bulb rule then: If you are sure that you will need the
>computer again within the next 4-8 hours, leave it on, otherwise turn
>it off.  In a business environment, this translates to On at 8, Off at 5.

Unless you're running a UNIX system which does your file transfers during
the wee hours of the morn, or you're running 72-hours-long Amiga raytracing,
or or or ...

Seriously, I recall that Stanford University's LOTS (Low Overhead Timesharing
System (for students)) Facility ran some tests about 10 years ago during which
half the terminals were turned off each night and the other half were left on
24 hrs/day.   The terminals that were on continously required fewer service
calls.

My own experiences bear this out.  ALL my computers (Amigas, 3B1's, Suns,
MightyFrames, etc (at home) and various systems at the office) are on 24 hrs/
day for years with no problems.  By avoiding thermal shock and current surges
(by leaving them on) they last and last and last.  To be fair, all of them are
also protected by surge/transient suppressorss and most by UPS systems, and all
monitors have 10-30 minute blanking intervals.  And I'm still using monitors
purchased before 1980.

Volt-Amp measurements (made by me and by PGE (the local utility)) show the
average power consumption of my (home) systems to be around 30W which, given
the rate structures vs. repair costs, is quite cost-effective.  I figure it
costs me $20-$25/month to keep my computers and modems on all the time (which
is only 10% of my monthly PGE bill).  And the computers keep the house nice and
warm during the cold winter months and cool summer evenings in this area! :-)

Thad Floryan [ thad@btr.com (OR) {decwrl, mips, fernwood}!btr!thad ]