Re: What companies are still using old technology

[ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (Richard Bonner)]

Jamie wrote:

> In <eu3fua$vkf$1@Kil-nws-1.UCIS.Dal.Ca>,
> ak621@chebucto.ns.ca (Richard Bonner) mentions:
> >***   I remember a newspaper article here a
> >few years ago (Mail Star? Globe & Mail?) about power consumption and how
> >it was recommended that terminals and any non-essential computer be shut
> >down at night if they were not needed until the next day. It listed power
> >savings for a typical business setup, and over a year, they could be
> >substantial. (Not mentioned was the advantage of regular reboots, but the
> >article was about power and its costs.)

> Problem in that situation is hardware replacement costs.

> Overheating is a killer, but, an even bigger killer is thermal expansion,
> contraction and hard drive spinup/down.

***   Sure, but I don't see a problem with that for a once-a-day
startup/shutdown. Also, apparently some newer computers have soft-start
capabilities to eliminate cold-start electrical stress.

   I should also mention that at work, we turn the systems off at night
and restart them the next day. The interior ambient temperature is low in
the winter but we have had very few system components fail in the past
twenty years even after years of daily start-up/shut-down cycles. 


> >   Regardless, the boatload of 486s could be made to be fairly power
> >efficient, especially if there were client/server setups. 486s also had
> >power management by then and would power down monitors and hard drives
> >after so many minutes. Still, I agree with your point.

> Indeed, 486's don't need CPU fans either. :-) Graphics on a 486 can be a
> bit painful. You'd almost have to repackage it with a shiny new case,
> charge $200 for it and call it something else. 

***   That pain can be removed with a good graphics card and monitor.
There were some very good professional graphics cards available for 486s.


> (486 might not be the best choice for power savings and graphics
> though) 

> How about a "hybrid computer" :-)

> Jamie

***   Well, 486 processors are still being made, but for embedded items. I
suppose a company could incorporate such a setup into a hybrid.

         Richard Bonner
http://www.chebucto.ca/~ak621/DOS/