home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Big Blue Disk 49
/
bbd49.zip
/
DISKOVER.TXT
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1990-09-19
|
7KB
|
118 lines
|A╔════════════════════╦════════════════════════════════════╦════════════════════╗
|A║ ^0First Things First |A║ ^1 Diskovery |A ║ ^0First Things First |A║
|A╚════════════════════╩════════════════════════════════════╩════════════════════╝
^Cby
^CSue Knighten
We at Big Blue Disk have been discussing one of the marketing quandaries of
the decade. Why has personal computing not burgeoned as expected? IBM's
recent announcement of the PS/1 is an indication of their reasoning: the
public wants an easier-to-use system. Either the general public is
intimidated by the standard PC interface, or they are just demanding something
more friendly.
A magazine article espoused the idea that home computing would come into its
own when computers were pre-installed in homes the way some vacuum cleaning
systems are now -- with an "outlet" in each room. I hope the author was
wrong; I hope the average household is not going to wait for our industry to
reach that level of standardization before reaping the benefits that home
computing can offer. The computer industry has a distance to go before
reaching a level that would support the wholesale installation and maintenance
of home computer networks.
However, I suspect both IBM and the author of the network article are on the
right track. The common thread is that the computer user-to-be is looking for
something which is convenient to use. I think the problem goes a little
further, though. As our Mike Maynard commented, "The people just don't know
what to do with the computers. And the computers are expensive." This is the
real crux of the matter. No one has yet convinced the average American of the
value of a computer. Computers and software are expensive, dollar-wise. They
are also expensive in the time investment required. The investment has
decreased over recent years, but there are many products in the marketplace
competing for the consumer's resources.
VCR's are also expensive. Some of us still haven't figured out how to work
them either. Sales figures, though, substantiate that the public believes
their VCR's are worth the time and money. Computers haven't proven their case.
We are left with a two-threaded puzzle: showing the computing public how
computers can be helpful; and making computers convenient to use. The software
we bring you from Big Blue Disk is intended to be used for convenience. Even
more, it is intended to demonstrate exactly the point of contention here,
computers are extremely useful for the personal user. Our software is written
especially to make the computer easier-to-use. One piece of the puzzle has
been ignored, although the network idea is coming close.
Is your telephone turned off? Does it have to be turned on every time you
wish to make a call? Is it hidden back behind the pile of papers on your
son's desk? The only phone?
Sound a little ridiculous? Why? Only because of incoming calls? Or is it
really that the phone is a convenience tool that we want to keep handy?
If that is too obvious, what about your toaster or coffee pot or refrigerator?
All conveniences which make our lives a little easier; do we usually stow
them away out of sight? Do we turn them completely off until we want another
cup of coffee?
Think now about your computer. Where is it? Have you thought about how much
more convenient it would be if it were closer to the hub of your everyday
action? If it were not turned OFF when you went to use it? I talked to three
different people in the business of tender-loving-care for computers. None of
the three were proponents of turning the computer on and off frequently,
although the definitions of frequently varied somewhat.
The most prevalent worry in leaving computers running concerns the notorious
power spikes and surges that might damage our system. Preventive measures are
easily available, and are used in offices were PC's are left on most (or all)
the time. First, invest in a power-strip with a surge protector. They are
inexpensive and well worth their cost.
Next, find an "auto-park" utility (such as the one published on BBD #37).
This utility helps protect the hard disk by pulling the read-write heads back
from the hard disk after a period of non-use. One of the most harmful effects
of a power spike is damage to the hard disk caused when the read-write heads
drag across the surface.
Finally, turn the system off when the weather is really bad, just as you do
other expensive electronic equipment. Even if nothing is damaged by power
fluctuations, the active memory of your PC is lost when the power goes off.
If you are in the middle of a project, you may waste a lot of time. More
aggravating, the program may be writing to files when the power goes out and
end up with something half-written. Recovering old files from your backup
disks is a real bore.
More obvious to the eye is the effect on a monitor screen left to display one
screen for a long period of time. After repeated instances, the screen is
left with the imprint of that display, the display is "burned in." The needs
of businesspeople have led to software which addresses this problem. A
screen-saver program, such as Blank-It published on BBD #43, automatically
blanks the screen after the computer has been unused for a period of time.
This is good if you get called away to the phone, and it turns out to be a
long conversation.
If you know you will be away from the computer for quite a while, just turn
the monitor off or at least turn the brightness down. (If someone else may
come along to use the computer while you are away, be sure they know about
this. Somehow, checking the level of brightness is not an intuitive thing to
do, and they may conclude the computer is broken.)
The contention that leaving the computer on will wear out your computer is not
a totally valid argument. Hard disk drives and internal fans do have
mechanical parts and do wear out. Disk drives have a rated life specified for
each drive. (These aren't advertised a lot, but the computer magazine
comparisons of disk drives will usually list the rated life.) The flip side
is the cycle which the computer must go through each time it is powered up.
The power-up cycle is much harder on both the power supply and the hard disk
drive than running continually.
What would I recommend for your home computer? Leave it on when you are home
and may want to use some of BBD's personal convenience software. Turn it off
when everyone is leaving the home, and the system will not be in use. Take
time to explore the possibilities of the different software brought to you in
our publication. Adopt the most helpful packages for regular use. Become
part of the home-computing vanguard.
Sue