🚀 go-pugleaf

> I have just got a new G4 Powerbook (15"), 1GHz with 1GB of RAM. The price
> was too good to resist!
> 
> Anyway, I'm finding that under sleep I'm losing about 1% per hour of sleep
> of battery. This seems much more than I used to lose with my Wallstreet
> under 8.6. Is this normal?

Unfortunately yes. My 12" iBook2 with 386MB RAM is a loosing power at 
about the same rate.
Actually IIRC the 1GB of RAM are probably only worsening the problem 
since the complete Gigabyte has to be kept under a certain current so 
that it doesn't loose its content.
(I don't know if something is developed yet that can distinguish "used" 
from unallocated RAM and powers of the latter when suspending).

> If I put the machine for sleep over the weekend,
> there's barely enough power to wake.

Isn't the power-up time just long enough to get something to eat and 
dring before starting to work?  ;-)

> I know you're supposed to shutdown for extended periods of non-use but I
> like to have the machine up and running quickly when I pull it out.  Of
> course, I could leave it plugged in but then it would not be very secure.

I'm quite exited about the software suspend-to-disk in the coming
Linux 2.6 kernel which will save the RAM to disk and then completely 
power off. The bootup time will then only be the time it takes to copy 
the memory stored on the harddrive back to RAM (ok, plus kernel 
initialisation).
I wonder why OS X doesn't have something similar in Panther with laptops 
being a key market for Apple.

      -Thomas

In article <BB4C00B4.18D1%duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au>, Duncan Farrow
<duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au> wrote:

> Of
> course, I could leave it plugged in but then it would not be very secure.

I'm afraid I don't understand this part.  How is leaving it plugged in
less secure?

I leave my PowerBook plugged in all the time when I'm not using it (and
most of the time when I am).  That way, when I need the battery power,
I'm always at full capacity.

-- 
-Thomas

e-mail me at thomasareed at philadelphia.net minus phil

Thomas Reed wrote:
> 
> In article <BB4C00B4.18D1%duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au>, Duncan Farrow
> <duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au> wrote:
> 
> > Of
> > course, I could leave it plugged in but then it would not be very secure.
> 
> I'm afraid I don't understand this part.  How is leaving it plugged in
> less secure?
> 
> I leave my PowerBook plugged in all the time when I'm not using it (and
> most of the time when I am).  That way, when I need the battery power,
> I'm always at full capacity.
> 
> --
> -Thomas
> 
> e-mail me at thomasareed at philadelphia.net minus phil

If I leave the machine on my desk, plugged into the power, it is less
secure from theft than if it is locked away somewhere out of sight.

I lost a machine a few years ago in such circumstances (a 5300 so it
didn't matter too much!)

Cheers,
Duncan.

Duncan Farrow <duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au> wrote:

> If I leave the machine on my desk, plugged into the power, it is less
> secure from theft than if it is locked away somewhere out of sight.

Have you considered the security cable products, such as Kensington's
<http://www.microsaver.com/>? 

On 30/7/03 9:52 AM, in article
1fyv72g.mhslo916s50ggN%neillmassello@earthlink.net, "Neill Massello"
<neillmassello@earthlink.net> wrote:

> Duncan Farrow <duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au> wrote:
> 
>> If I leave the machine on my desk, plugged into the power, it is less
>> secure from theft than if it is locked away somewhere out of sight.
> 
> Have you considered the security cable products, such as Kensington's
> <http://www.microsaver.com/>?

I have one of these - but I don't trust it to hold out against a determined
thief that has gone to the trouble of breaking into my office in the dead of
night. I've not tried it but I bet a hand-held cable cutter or bolt cutters
could get through a cable lock in less than a minute.  The thief can then
remove the part still attached to the powerbook at their leisure.

On 31/7/03 1:19 AM, in article vifog3bogds528@corp.supernews.com, "Sloopy"
<sloopy@hangon.xyz> wrote:

> In article <BB4D5D3B.18F1%duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au>,
> Duncan Farrow <duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au> wrote:
> 
>> On 30/7/03 9:52 AM, in article
>> 1fyv72g.mhslo916s50ggN%neillmassello@earthlink.net, "Neill Massello"
>> <neillmassello@earthlink.net> wrote:
>> 
>>> Duncan Farrow <duncanfarrow@iprimus.com.au> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> If I leave the machine on my desk, plugged into the power, it is less
>>>> secure from theft than if it is locked away somewhere out of sight.
>>> 
>>> Have you considered the security cable products, such as Kensington's
>>> <http://www.microsaver.com/>?
>> 
>> I have one of these - but I don't trust it to hold out against a determined
>> thief that has gone to the trouble of breaking into my office in the dead of
>> night. I've not tried it but I bet a hand-held cable cutter or bolt cutters
>> could get through a cable lock in less than a minute.  The thief can then
>> remove the part still attached to the powerbook at their leisure.
> 
> I think the Kensington product is designed to keep a light-fingered
> co-employed from "borrowing" your laptop.
> 

Although, as Neill says, it would be fairly easy to cut the cable with the
right tool, it wouldn't be easy (if it's possible at all) to get the
Kensington fitting out without making a mess of the case. Kensington's logic
is that a laptop with an obviously buggered case is not as saleable,
therefore not worth stealing.

As always, nothing can stop a thief who has enough time and tools. All you
can do is slow them down - hopefully enough that they'll stick to easier
things. 

David

To get back to the original subject, I just left my 17" PowerBook G4
unplugged all night, and when I woke up it reported that battery power
was at 93%.  Seems these new machines eat up a LOT of power during
sleep!  You'll just need to find a way to keep the machine plugged in
while sleeping for extended periods -- or turn it off.

-- 
-Thomas

<http://www.bitjuggler.com/>