Computers Are Quiet Once Again
Back at the dawn of the personal computer revolution, all computers were quiet. They cooled themselves by convection and used no fans. I liked quiet computing, with only the sound of the keyboard and the floppy drive to interrupt my thoughts.
But after a few years (and particularly after the introduction of the IBM PC), things changed. Computers came with fans, usually multiple fans, and some were very loud. Much to my disappointment, computing changed from a silent experience to a very noisy one. Computers had power lights to remind you that they were on, but that was only necessary in a war zone.
Thankfully, quiet computing seems to be back in fashion. Computers still contain fans, but system designers seem to have figured out how to keep noise under control. My current computer is so quiet that I can only hear the fan when I put my ear to the case. I sometimes even forget that it is on. I like quiet computing and I hope this trend continues.
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