Clean machine to the rescue

Op-ed Network World
July 13, 2007 02:09 PM ET

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Clean machines

Thanks for the information on CCleaner. I downloaded it after reading Mark Gibbs' column and ran it on my Windows XP laptop. The free space on my C drive was 8.3GB at the start of the process. After I let CCleaner flush everything, the free space was 16GB!

Jerry GauthierSandwich, Mass.

Light at the end of the tunnel

In reference to Mark Gibbs' column "Appalled by things legal", thanks for highlighting this unintended consequence of security legislation. I wonder whether we will soon be subject to power-theft suits for plugging laptops or cell phone chargers into the very few available power outlets in airport lounges.

What is alleged to have been stolen in the case of Sam Peterson, who was charged with "stealing" free Wi-Fi? It is not property, and it is not intellectual property. I guess it is utility, in the sense that he competes for the available bandwidth and reduces the utility of the network. What would happen if a neighboring business put in a Draft N network with an edge router that extended the range of the café's network in distance and functionality? If it increased the utility of the network in another dimension, would it be theft?

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Your analogy of the porch light reminds me of someone who lived a mile away from a place where I used to work. He complained to the company about light pollution from the building at night. Light spilled from a building might be seen as a resource or pollution, depending on your point of view. It's a bit like the definition of a weed - a plant growing in the wrong place.

Peter QuirkHopkinton, Mass.

Tune out, tune off cell phones

Mark Gibbs' column about green initiatives and the bees' Colony Collapse Disorder (www.nwdocfinder.com/9524) finishes with this sentence: "Let's just hope that cell phones aren't the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder, because switching them off could turn out to be one of the biggest business challenges we ever face."

Yes, it would be a big disrupter, but maybe for the better. I think we as a society have lost all reason when it comes to personal free time and the emphasis on instant or near-instant response and decision making. Why does everybody have to be available 24/7? Wouldn't some decisions be better if a little more time was spent in contemplation and review? (Think - some merger decisions before the "Internet bubble" and since.)

Don't get me wrong, I think all of the advances in communications have been for the better. It's the application of those advances that worry me. I've worked in IT since 1965 and have also owned and operated a network integration company. We covered emergencies by assigning and scheduling personnel to be on call - not the whole team, just one or two people who carry a beeper or cell phone. (Both salaried and hourly personnel can be compensated for the inconvenience of being on call and receive additional compensation if they have to respond to a call.) The boss didn't call you at home just to get an opinion or ask a question. Those could wait until the next day.