Windows systems suck more juice

[Mitch Stone <mstone@vc.net>]

Let me get this straight: even if it worked, it wouldn't work?

http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?/features/980427acpi.htm

April 27, 1998
Special Investigative Report
Windows systems suck more juice
By Ephraim Schwartz

Despite claims to the contrary by Microsoft and Intel, the next 
generation of notebook PC running the default power-management system in 
Windows 98 and Windows NT 5.0 will actually consume more battery power 
than its predecessor.

The Advanced Power Configuration Interface (APCI), which will replace the 
BIOS-based Advanced Power Management, or APM, is a core technology 
underlying Microsoft's OnNow power-saving and plug-and-play initiative. 
But so far, ACPI, which was created to give application developers more 
control of power management, is not looking like much of an improvement, 
a number of industry sources said.

"ACPI is an inferior solution, according to the guys I speak with at the 
technical level at the system vendors, because the amount of battery life 
will decrease," said Dean Welder, a senior product manager at Award 
Software, a system BIOS manufacturer, in Mountain View, Calif.

Welder's contentions were backed by another source familiar with the 
technology who asked not to be identified.

"I would confirm at this point in time in our lab tests [that] ACPI gives 
slightly worse time than APM," the source said. "We have discovered that 
ACPI is doing stuff, valuable stuff, but we have noticed a degradation in 
power."

Designed by Microsoft, Intel, and Toshiba, ACPI will create and control 
four power states for almost every internal component of a notebook. The 
four states, dubbed D0 through D3, are a continuum from fully-on to 
fully-off, with two levels of sleep modes in between. It will put 
notebook power management under the control of the operating system and 
application software rather than the BIOS.

The main culprit for the accelerated power loss is a lack of software 
support.

"Although the operating system will perform most of the work for OnNow, 
applications must be designed for power management to make the entire 
process appear seamless to the user," said Sriram Subramanian, product 
manager of Windows hardware strategy at Microsoft, in Redmond, Wash.