Rest assured we are still waiting for Black Mesa. The vaporware list will be long and healthy this year.

I don't why the parent has been moderated as funny... It's actually insightful. I use the Ubuntu live CD and web services for information storage when I need to do personal stuff and all I have is my company issued laptop. It keeps my data seperate, away from their prying eyes and in a single location so I can work with it when I have my personal laptop available.

At least "Who is more evil than Satan himself" search provides accurate and timely information.

The issue with powering on machines is solved with wake on LAN.

However, it seems everyone has implemented this differently. I administer a Dell shop. Not all the workstations seem to respond to the same magic packet. The division is across NIC chipset manufacturers. The Broadcoms work one way and the Intels work another.

In my experience, leaving the machines one is still the best solution.

I work in a high rise office building. Our power is included in our lease for the space. There is no incentive for me to power down workstations at night. That being said, you could argue that I would be helping everyone for the greater good. It still comes down to me expending resources without any direct benefit either way. The lease is not cheaper if I use less power. If my office paid per kwh, then it makes sense. Till then, my workstations stay on at night.

Oh and my workstations do not sit idle. Full anti-virus scans and updates are performed in off hours in order to minimize impact during the work day.