A recent discussion I had with a customer about screensavers reminded me how much personal computing has changed over the years, and how things that were once necessary are now old hat. There’s a lot of misinformation regarding general computing, and some old myths need to be dispelled.
Myth #1: “your computer needs to use a screensaver to prevent ‘burn-in.’” Years ago, this was true. Computer monitors, particularly monochrome monitors (remember those old green and amber monitors?), if left for extended periods of time displaying the same image, would display a faint version of that image that became permanent, even when turned off. This was caused by the phosphor particles integral to the screen losing their ability to be reenergized, and, outside of replacing the screen, the monitor could not be repaired.
However, modern computer monitors do not have this problem. The need for screensavers is no more. There’s nothing wrong with using screensavers, as they’ve almost evolved into a modern art form. Don’t worry, though, unless you’re using a really old monitor, you’re immune to screen burn-in.
Myth #2: “you should leave your computer always turned on.” The old school of thought was that the surge of electricity hitting your computer when it was turned on put great strain on its delicate internal parts, so you should minimize this damage by leaving it turned on for as long as possible. I knew people who left their home computers turned on for years. The fact is that, yes, power surges are bad for computers, and indeed, all electronic equipment. In truth, the power surge that occurs when powering on your computer is insignificantly small.
You should be much more concerned about power surges coming through the electrical lines entering your house; I’ve seen first-hand the damage they can cause. As such, all home computers should be connected to uninterruptible power supplies with surge protection, which are available almost everywhere electronics are sold. But there’s no need to waste electricity by leaving your computer permanently powered on. Your computer has a power switch on the front for a reason. Use it!
Myth #3: “computer files are ‘digital,’ and can never change or wear out.” On its face, this myth actually makes sense, and is based in fact. Digital files are nothing more than numbers, collections of zeroes and ones known as “bits,” arranged in ways that computer processors can use. There’s nothing there to wear out, and copies of files are identical to the original.
That’s all well and good in a perfect world. Real-world experience has shown a different picture. Files can become “corrupted,” and unusable for a variety of reasons, such as power surges, memory errors, system conflicts, program “bugs,” and other strange causes. File corruption, or “decay,” is sometimes humorously referred to as “bit rot.”
Next week: laying more myths to rest.