Ramblings of a CTO

The Microsoft / DirecTV saga in detail

Chris Lainer has been blogging about the Microsoft and DirecTV deal for quite some time. He just wrote an excellent analysis on where it started. To what is the situation now.

Click Here to Read

I think we might need Santa's help to get these two sides back working together.

Microsoft and DirecTV Cancel HDPC-20 Development

From GearLog.com

"According to a company spokesperson, 'DIRECTV has suspended the development of the HDPC-20 tuner project that was designed to integrate DIRECTV service into Windows Media Center after assessing the impact of missing the August 2008 release of Windows Media Center update and considering timing of the next release'.

'Both DIRECTV and Microsoft understand the desirability of offering consumers an all encompassing DIRECTV programming solution via Windows-based PCs. We are continuing to explore ways to integrate DIRECTV service with Windows-based PCs in the future.'"

I am really pissed about this, but honestly not surprised. I just came back from a BNI IT get together where I was told that most people who are purchasing new PCs still request XP - even if they have to PAY EXTRA for it. I use Vista on all my PCs and it works fine for me, but other people are having major issues with Microsoft's latest OS.

I thought Windows 7 with DirecTv support would show that Microsoft learned from its mistakes. They would get everyone excited about their latest product. But it sounds like it is going to be the same old Microsoft.

I will now be looking into Boxee and Myth TV as replacements.

Is it better to turn off my computer or leave it on everyday

We get this question quite a bit, especially now that energy conservation is a big issue. This topic boils down to this question: is turning off my computer every day bad for it? The answer is no.

Several years ago, the answer to this question might have been yes. The issue comes down to your computer's hard drive, motherboard and CPU. When your computer is on, it generates a lot of heat. Turning it off then cools down the parts. This heating up and cooling down impacts your PC's parts, but now with the technology and design much bette, this is no longer a factor.

You also need to think about the economic impact of having your PC turned on 24 hours a day. This excerpt is from How stuff works:

"A typical PC consumes something like 300 watts. Let's assume that you use your PC for four hours every day, so the other 20 hours it is on would be wasted energy. If electricity costs 10 cents per kilowatt-hour in your area, then that 20 hours represents 60 cents a day. Sixty cents a day adds up to $219 per year."

This calculation also doesn't include printers, fax machines or monitors. Just think of the cost savings if everyone in your office turned off their computers at night before they left.

So to keep it green, it is best to turn your PC off when you are not using it. The only thing you are hurting by keeping it on is the environment, by wasting unused energy and your wallet.