Windows® 98 Unleashed

Power Management in Windows 98: OnNow and ACPI

Why can't a computer be more like a toaster? When you want to make toast, you just toss in a slice of bread and push a lever down. The toaster turns on instantly, toasts the bread, ejects the slice when it's done, and then turns itself off. Computers, on the other hand, take forever to start up and remain on even when we haven't used them for a while. If computers are going to become a ubiquitous part of everyday life, they must become more like appliances.

That, in a nutshell, is the goal of OnNow Design Initiative. OnNow is a new PC platform that affects all aspects of the machine: applications, ...