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|Aº ^0First Things First |Aº             ^1 Diskovery |A            º ^0First Things First |Aº
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^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