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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Fwd: Opinions on gnome2 / KDE - continued. screenshots!
From:       Michael Peligro <mikepeligro () philwebinc ! com>
Date:       2002-07-27 12:23:32
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On Thursday 25 July 2002 5:56 pm, Uno Engborg wrote:

> So why not make this power user thing, simple enough to use by less geeky
> people. Why not add  a checkbox to the "Control Center"->"System"->"Date
> & Time"
> enabling the use of a time server. If it was active a timeserver textfield
> could be activated. Naturally with a default value based on your chosen
> locale
> already set.

Nice idea. Perhaps it could roughly look like this:

 Control Center -> System -> Date & Time

<radio button 1> Use computer's clock (default)
<radio button 2> Use timeserver:  <blank fill-in> (for specifying a URL, or 
something)

> So I don't think this is a  big issue for most users. If you have to call
> the person in yor familly that holds the root password once every seventh
> year or so I don't think he would mind. By that time you probably have
> reinstalled/upgraded your OS at least once, and at that  time you could
> also change
> the battery as well to be on the safe side. Doing this may actually prolong
> the life of your computer as the specific kind of battery your computer
> needs
> may even be discontinued from production by the time it have run out of
> power.

I have experienced several occasions when the battery ran out much earlier 
than expected. I purchased a brand-new AMD-K6-500 on February 2001. The 
battery mysteriously ran out last February 2002, only a year after purchase. 
My Linux installation (LinuxConf, etc..) went awry soon after I changed the 
battery to a new one. 

I learned from this experience that even brand-new systems have 
less-than-optimal batteries, and it's not always right to assume that the 
battery in it will last for several more years. It's also not right to assume 
that all new units have brand-new batteries. I also don't know of any generic 
programs/software/Linux utility that will accurately measure the battery 
levels, or a BIOS setting that can display it. (Perhaps it would be better if 
there's a BIOS sensor that detects this level, and sound an alarm when the 
level is critically low.)

I hate replacing batteries just to be on the safe side. I personally feel that 
replacing batteries before depletion adds more unecessary chemical waste to 
our environment. I feel it is more environmentally responsible to purchase 
and use as few batteries as possible.

Most machines used in schools are old, donated machines. A school's IT support 
person has no idea when these batteries will run out too.

No big deal for desktop machines. The real trouble comes affects server 
machines.

> Most computers have ended up in the scrap yard long before that happens.

Not all PCs in use today are new. Linux installations are still being done on 
old hardware. Pentium Is' and older 486s are seeing new life as stand-alone 
firewalls, software routers, web servers, authenticating machines, print 
servers, and other critical Linux server deployments. Linux has given old 
machines a lot of reasons to be used deployed again, and server admins are 
happy that Linux has greatly justified the premium money once spent 
purchasing these machines. The batteries in these machines are likewise old 
and used.

> By that time you probably have reinstalled/upgraded your OS at least once, 

Compound this problem with the fact that most Linux admins are proud to show 
their machine's uptime. They pride themselves in showing who has the longest, 
running uptime among their peers. Server admins are also prone not to 
reinstall the operating system system. Instead, they apply patches, recompile 
their kernels, reboot. Some even avoid doing reboots as much as possible. So 
their servers (especially web servers) are up 24x7. Only a battery drain, a 
UPS problem, or natural calamities like lightning storms, earthquakes, floods 
and others (September 11) can take down their servers.

Others do not upgrade their server's operating system at all. Some prefer to 
rely on security measures such as "security-through-obscurity". The machine's 
battery, again, is not replaced due to zero downtime.

Servers like these will go awry when the batteries run out. Linux's 
reliability and zero downtime further aggravates the problem.

So this time problem goes deeper than KDE. We will all be more glad if KDE 
does it share of fixing up part of the problem that affects its function as a 
desktop environment. It will also help if KDE can provide a visual 
feedback/warning message to the user on the implications of indiscriminate 
time adjustments.


Regards,
Michael Peligro
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