From owner-freebsd-chat Sun May 19 1:13:53 2002 Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from pintail.mail.pas.earthlink.net (pintail.mail.pas.earthlink.net [207.217.120.122]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B67C937B400 for ; Sun, 19 May 2002 01:13:48 -0700 (PDT) Received: from pool0049.cvx40-bradley.dialup.earthlink.net ([216.244.42.49] helo=mindspring.com) by pintail.mail.pas.earthlink.net with esmtp (Exim 3.33 #2) id 179LoW-0000CM-00; Sun, 19 May 2002 01:13:12 -0700 Message-ID: <3CE75E77.4AFD522F@mindspring.com> Date: Sun, 19 May 2002 01:12:39 -0700 From: Terry Lambert X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en]C-CCK-MCD {Sony} (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Randall Hamilton Cc: Brad Knowles , Mike Meyer , Giorgos Keramidas , Miguel Mendez , freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: The road ahead? References: <20020516004909.A9808@daemon.tisys.org> <20020516151801.A47974@energyhq.homeip.net> <20020516172853.A7750@daemon.tisys.org> <3CE40759.7C584101@mindspring.com> <20020516220616.A51305@energyhq.homeip.net> <3CE43D08.1FDBF0A3@mindspring.com> <20020517163624.GB9697@hades.hell.gr> <3CE58F73.1A7F50AF@mindspring.com> <15589.63655.94078.482179@guru.mired.org> <3CE61284.80ADD241@mindspring.com> <15590.58578.811389.223502@guru.mired.org> <3CE6E8ED.84E431F@mindspring.com> <3CE6F73C.2A8F4EA2@mindspring.com> <001101c1fef4$6858cd10$0301a8c0@nitedog> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk List-ID: List-Archive: (Web Archive) List-Help: (List Instructions) List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Randall Hamilton wrote: > > > First, all of my DVD, VCR and other consumer electronics equipment > > > have power buttons. > > > > DVDs and VCRs -- yes. However, I've known cable boxes that didn't. > > frankly...i prefer everything have a power switch. from my coffee machine to > my TV. its a matter of convience really... > > I would much rather turn off my tv by the remote then climb behind my > entertainment stand and unplug it when im done watching it. same concept > applies to every other device i own. unplugging it is simply a horrid way of > doing it. the general standard is power switches = good. > > and I, for one, and not gonna disagree with that. In a reasonable world, power outlets and the mating end of the cords would be milspec 3 connector rotating-lock recessed; i.e. you have to put the plug in the hole far enough that there is no way to touch the prongs at all, and it must be rotate-to-engage, to prevent nails/paper clips/bobby pins being used, and it should "child-proof-cap" into place, requiring "push-and-rotate" to disengage (or even an "eject" button). Makes vacuuming a bit more work, but, that's not a real problem. It really should be physically impossible for a child to partially pull out a power cord and electrocute themselves... just like it's not possible for U.S. Marines working on shop equipment. When I was a kid, we actually bought government surplus shop equipment, which included power strips built into the benches, and plugs like this on equipment (though they lacked sufficient recess to keep a marine safe, if they were determined, an accidental unplugging was really impossible). With such things in place, switches are really not an option at all. I've been very tempted several times to build an outlet with a bezel to hid the plug prongs, and a PCMCIA-style "eject" button, where the outlet would throw pins through the holes in the ends of the prongs. Basically, consumer device saftey in the U.S., Europe, Japan, etc., really sucks. I've basically resigned myself to the idea that light sockets and wall outlets are not likely to change, and we are stuck with them. Tempting to do the "child saftey" rap, though, since you could really end up selling adapters, etc., to the yuppie crowd (yuppies are so populous not because they breed any faster than normal people, but because they take things like child safety seriously ;^)). -- Terry To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message