Do you sleep your Mac or turning it of after every work day?

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:55 am

I'd like to add that that putting the *monitor* to sleep after sitting dormant for 20-30 minutes or so has been a good thing. No problems there.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:07 am

That makes sense Hobby; when I tried it years back it was nowhere near as bad as when the Mac slept.

I'll confess that I've always employed a hot corner (usually lower left) to trigger whatever my current favourite screensaver is.
Somehow I feel it'd be less stress for the monitor to display alternative images than to be shut down and switched back on (it's a CRT; I can't speculate on LCDs as I've not used one).

jliechty · Post by **jliechty** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:21 am

The only kernel panic that I can remember was from a USB memory stick that my Mac didn't like. Despite that, it would be deceptive of me to not mention how the Finder (among other programs) tends to go crazy if I haven't rebooted for a few weeks. Thankfully, Apple usually takes care of that with some operating system software updates.

Considering the difference in our experiences, I'm curious if it might be a laptop (what I use) versus desktop (what I guess most of you use) issue. Though, I have a number of USB devices and a Traveler plugged in, which is probably not much different from what my desktop-using brethren have...

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 7:27 am

I still use my PBG4 1.5Ghz, and sleep has its issues on that machine as well for me. Maybe it's better on the MBs and MBPs.

Resonant Alien · Post by **Resonant Alien** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 8:27 am

jliechty wrote:
Resonant Alien wrote:For the sake of the environment, turn them off. They use nearly as much energy sleeping as when on.
That's interesting... My experience has been quite to the contrary. With the whole system sleeping (and not just the monitor), it uses very little power.

The greatest advantage for me is that things are instantly ready in the morning. Even if I've closed some program, it's still likely to be in the cache, so it will start up much faster after the computer has awakened than if it had just started with an empty cache. Thus, while I care about the environment, I'm more than willing to accept a few watts of standby power consumption, and besides, the LEDs make great night lights. </wink>

Like Frodo, I make no judgements, but do what I think is right. There was an article recently which indicated that at least 10% of the power consumption in the US is a result of "sleeping" applicances - TVs that are turned off from the remote, but not really "off", battery chargers plugged in even when not connected to anything, clock displays on microwave ovens, and computers put to sleep but not turned off......even when "turned off" most things still draw power unless they are unplugged, or disconnected from the receptacle using something like a power strip with its own switch.

10% is a lot of power to use for things that we are not really using

Anywho, not to get on a soapbox, but I think we often don't realize how much energy we waste when we are not even using our appliances.

Macs boot really, really fast. It's not much of an inconvenience to me to power down - Windows machines are a different story.

As always, YMMV.

Rick Averill · Post by **Rick Averill** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:05 pm

Most of the people I know who leave their Macs on all the time (not to mention sound systems) have no better reason for doing so than someone else does it.

I personally find that a fresh re-boot done frequently eliminates a lot of problems. I used to refer to it as "clearing the memory stack", although with tiger's method of alloting memory, I'm not sure that's pertinant anymore. Still it clears up a multitude of problems. I have no doubt about this at all.

Also, should I experience a power outage, it eliminates "shutting down incorrectly" if the computer isn't on to begin with.

Also, there's the privacy issue. I'm constantly amazed at how many people know what's going on with my Mac. The fact that so many software programs check for registration when their apps are started up indicates to me that the companies are somehow spying on me. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but it makes me feel ill at ease.

The long and short of it is, I shut down every time I'm not using it.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 3:40 am

Rick Averill wrote:Also, there's the privacy issue. I'm constantly amazed at how many people know what's going on with my Mac. The fact that so many software programs check for registration when their apps are started up indicates to me that the companies are somehow spying on me.

We're not watching you, at least not today.*

Rick Averill wrote: Maybe I'm just paranoid, but it makes me feel ill at ease.

How can you feel ill as well as at ease?
Sorry.

*Joint statement issued by the NSA and IRS on Sunday Feb 17, 2008

Frodo · Post by **Frodo** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:46 am

Rick Averill wrote:Most of the people I know who leave their Macs on all the time (not to mention sound systems) have no better reason for doing so than someone else does it.

It couldn't possibly get any wiser or more pragmatic than that. Extremely well put, Rick.

jliechty · Post by **jliechty** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 11:11 am

The sound studio at the university where I am leaves their equipment on all of the time. I've never heard a good reason why. I'm not in any position to change this practice, but I still can't imagine that it's good for the life of the LCD backlights in the DM2000 and Kurzweil PC2X, let alone the rest of the hardware, to be running at least 12 hours each day when they're not used at all. If anyone has thought about the issue, the excuse is probably that it's too much work to turn everything on and off individually (there may be an easier way, but nothing is ever turned off, so I don't know).

Rick Averill · Post by **Rick Averill** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:15 pm

monkey man wrote: How can you feel ill as well as at ease?

I enjoy suffering.

monkey man · Post by **monkey man** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 1:46 am

Thank you for reminding me what fun it can be Rick.

To think that I'd started to take it for granted after decades of priceless suffering.

I mean, I could have been enjoying the party all along.

jarok · Post by **jarok** » Mon Feb 18, 2008 2:13 am

Hi

I always turn my computer and equipment off if I don't use those.
It doesn't make me suffer at all.

jarok

robstudio · Post by **robstudio** » Tue Feb 19, 2008 5:52 am

jliechty wrote:The sound studio at the university where I am leaves their equipment on all of the time. I've never heard a good reason why.

Hi all,
First a disclaimer.... I try to be as 'green' as possible with my power consumption. My mac sleeps or is off when not in use.
The theory behind the 'always on' practice is that leaving the gear on keeps things at a consistent temperature. The heating and cooling of electronic components cause contraction and expansion.. on a small level. From a technical stand point it's easier on the equipment at one temperature... (provided it's not too hot...) ....when does a light bulb burn out? ... It's no coincidence that a flakey capacitor in a power supply will tend to "expire" when being turned on as well. Do I think it will greatly extend the life of my computer leaving it on all the time... hmm no... however I have a linked pair of digital consoles that are famous for their frying power supplies... My main console stays on all the time... that and my rack with the motu interfaces (the rack stuff draws 15 watts...). Other than that my gear is off or sleeping when not in use.

... on a related note... I experienced my first kernal panic in a year, under 10.5.2, coming out of sleep mode, this morning. hmmm They've improved the networking... so I want to stick with the new revision... If I get another kp coming out of sleep, I'll start a thread....

Regards, Rob

ester · Post by **ester** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 4:04 pm

ok ... so dave and cuttime have 2 things that make me wonder.

dave. the uad-1e is that what triggered your strange sleeping squirrels?

cuttime. do you happen to have a uad-1e? i was getting so many kernal panics after installing mine that i don't sleep at all anymore.

no .... i meant i don't let my mac sleep anymore.

i let my powermac g4 stay "on" and enjoy sleep without a restart for about 6 months with no problem.

i wonder is this a leo/card issue?

Dave Bourke · Post by **Dave Bourke** » Thu Feb 21, 2008 5:37 pm

No. I had the weird behaviour before I ever bought a UAD-1. With both the MOTU PCI-324 and PCI-424.

I remember reading somewhere that it had to do with sleep powering down PCI cards, thus their drivers had to be unloaded, then reloaded when the machine wakes. The results can be ugly.

Incidentally, there's a long thread about this over at the Mac section of the UAD-1 forums.

Kind regards.