Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!tank!mimsy!tove.umd.edu!folta
From: folta@tove.umd.edu (Wayne Folta)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Have you checked your backups lately?
Message-ID: <17192@mimsy.UUCP>
Date: 30 Apr 89 01:11:05 GMT
References: <28718@apple.Apple.COM> <19510@genrad.UUCP> <39434@think.UUCP> <524@sys.uea.ac.uk> <39638@think.UUCP> <24679@etlcom.etl.JUNET> <492@dcdwest1.UUCP>
Sender: nobody@mimsy.UUCP
Reply-To: folta@tove.umd.edu.UUCP (Wayne Folta)
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, gs
Lines: 33

[Stuff Deleted]
"I have a Mac SE with an internal 20M HD and the
"operators manual (you know, the one that comes with the computer and that you
"don't bother to read until something explodes) says that as a general
"rule of thumb, if you are not going to use the machine for a period of 
"about 8 hours then it is just as well to power down the system.  As I
"said, that is the recommendation for my machine, your recommendation 
"may vary.  :-)
"
"The proverbial moral of the story, "When in doubt, RTFM."

I think that most of us were aware of the Party Line on the issue (at
least I was).  But remember that Apple has concerns other than maximizing
your SE or disk's life: liability.  They could never recommend full-time
power on, as that would involve long periods unattended, and if a fire
resulted, someone in this sue-happy land would sue Apple to get a new house.
This scenario doesn't have to be very likely, it just has to be remotely
possible (like lawn mowers with warnings not to stick your hand into the
blade).

Note also that for practical purposes (in, say a business), "8 hours" means
"turn it off when you go home in the evening".  Which leaves the question of
whether or not Apple means "8 hours" or whether that sounded nice.  I, for one,
have worked with people who make manuals, and a firm number, like "8 hours",
might just be a reasonable-sounding number that someone inserted without
any research ("Hmmmm... let's see... it doesn't seem like it would be good
to turn it off for only an hour, but leaving it on all the time sounds risky,
so let's recommend, oh, say...8 hours!" :-))   I, for one, was looking for
some real real advice from EEs and MEs, so that I could weigh the tradeoffs and
make an intelligent decision.


Wayne Folta          (folta@tove.umd.edu  128.8.128.42)