[gberz3]

Hi All,

Before I go any further, yes, I've come across several forum topics related to my issue, but they were all closed, so I was forced to open a new thread.

That said, I'm looking to keep my MacBook awake while it is closed. I don't, however, wish to be tied to an application (e.g. InsomniaX). I'm looking for the kernel hook, or .plist edit that is used to activate (or deactivate as the case may be) the sleep options.

The obvious reasons for this are compiling code, file downloads, listening to music, and the list goes on...

Any help would be most appreciated.

Regards.

[Simon]

How about leaving the lid open, but sleeping the display? Ctrl-shift-eject will turn your screen off.

[gberz3]

Thanks for the suggestion, but I want it closed. I'd like, for instance, to begin a download in one conference room, then place the laptop in it's carrying case and move to another office, etc and have the download continue without having to carry it open. Or perhaps leave the laptop awake to continue compiling code while it's closed.

Basically the point is to be able to close it and do what I will with it without the actual closing triggering sleep -- whether I choose to store it in a 1/2 U rack or carry it around and use it as a 320GB "iPod".

Regards.

[seanc]

Originally Posted by gberz3 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I want it closed. I'd like, for instance, to begin a download in one conference room, then place the laptop in it's carrying case and move to another office, etc and have the download continue without having to carry it open. Or perhaps leave the laptop awake to continue compiling code while it's closed.

Basically the point is to be able to close it and do what I will with it without the actual closing triggering sleep -- whether I choose to store it in a 1/2 U rack or carry it around and use it as a 320GB "iPod".

Regards.

I would not advise this at all.

It would get VERY hot compiling code, resulting in the fans running full blast and running the battery down.

Moving hard drives while they're running is not recommended either, I imagine there would be a lot of bumping and moving while you were carrying it, which wouldn't be good for the hard drives longevity.

[gberz3]

I definitely appreciate you guys' concern. However, I believe the newer laptops have accelerometers for detecting things of a dangerous nature. Still is there any way to do this -- movement aside?

[AKcrab]

Originally Posted by seanc 

I would not advise this at all.

It would get VERY hot compiling code, resulting in the fans running full blast and running the battery down.

Moving hard drives while they're running is not recommended either, I imagine there would be a lot of bumping and moving while you were carrying it, which wouldn't be good for the hard drives longevity.

Not to mention; if he's got the laptop in a bag the fans will come on full, but they won't be doing any cooling. He'll fry the logic board if it's in the bag very long.

[gberz3]

Originally Posted by AKcrab 

He'll fry the logic board if it's in the bag very long.

Again all, I absolutely appreciate your concern. Still I'd appreciate if we could remain on topic. Is this possible?


Best.

[ibook_steve]

I'm guessing that what people are trying to say to you is that it is not possible and warning you as to why you shouldn't or should not want to do this. Relying on fans in a bag and accelerometers is really a bad idea, unless you want a brick. If you really want to do stuff like this, connect remotely to a desktop machine that doesn't need to go to sleep.

If you absolutely must do what you want to do, the only way I know of would be to open the case and remove either the magnet in the top case or the reed switch in the bottom case, both needed to trigger sleep.

Steve

[gberz3]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve 

I'm guessing that what people are trying to say to you is that it is not possible and warning you as to why you shouldn't or should not want to do this. Relying on fans in a bag and accelerometers is really a bad idea, unless you want a brick. If you really want to do stuff like this, connect remotely to a desktop machine that doesn't need to go to sleep.

Understood. But I still want the capability. InsomniaX does it somehow, and I was hoping folks knew how without me having to dig around. I certainly wouldn't be using it in extreme situations, but I want the capability to avoid sleep if I so desire. I could certainly imagine that many would want to walk between offices with a closed laptop (sans the bag) during a download or some other less intense operation.

And, especially outside a bag, there's no reason the fans couldn't run. Granted, they may not be nearly as effective, but being as the machine would not be asleep, fans should function as designed.

Thanks again.

[Big Mac]

It's just a plain, well, let's not mince words. . . It's a stupid idea - especially your concept of doing something processor/disk intense while carrying the laptop around. Sleep mode is designed the way it is for a reason.

[gberz3]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

It's just a plain, well, let's not mince words. . . It's a stupid idea - especially your concept of doing something processor/disk intense while carrying the laptop around. Sleep mode is designed the way it is for a reason.

While I respect your right to an opinion, I'm not terribly interested in it. My question was whether or not it was possible, not whether or not you thought it was a good idea. And sleep mode is designed to accommodate low power consumption when not in use -- no more, no less. Anything above and beyond that is your own interpretation.

The activities mentioned aren't necessarily to be combined with carrying around in a case. Everyone seemed to get a bit hung up on that possibility. The fact of the matter is that InsomniaX handled it just fine, and yes, even compiling of code worked just fine -- no logic board replacements, no hiccups. I simply want to be free of InsomniaX for future endeavors.

Regards.

[Simon]

Originally Posted by gberz3 

While I respect your right to an opinion, I'm not terribly interested in it. My question was whether or not it was possible, not whether or not you thought it was a good idea.

The answer you're looking for is: no. There is InsomniaX. If you don't like the way it handles it you're outa luck.

For the record, it is a stupid idea to do CPU-intensive stuff on a notebook while carrying it around. Like Steve said, do it remotely on a desktop.

And while I understand you're disappointed that you didn't find the solution you hoped for, you came to a public board and asked a question in a public thread. People are entitled to their opinions and everybody has the same right to post here. It's quite desirable if more experienced users point out that what somebody is attempting to do is a bad idea. Like it or not, that is the answer you got. Nobody is forcing you to be happy with it. But you shouldn't jump at others just because their experience tells them what you want to do is a bad idea.

[gberz3]

Originally Posted by Simon 

The answer you're looking for is: no. There is InsomniaX. If you don't like the way it handles it you're outa luck.

First of all, I'm very happy with the way InsomniaX handles it. However, I have yet to hear back from their devs, and I simply don't wish to be dependent upon that developer to keep the application updated. It has been an issue in the past. The features provided are great. I was hoping the folks in this community might be of some help in accomplishing the same thing. But comments like yours are quickly making me lose faith -- although hopefully your current disposition isn't reflective of the entire MacNN community.

For the record, it is a stupid idea to do CPU-intensive stuff on a notebook while carrying it around. Like Steve said, do it remotely on a desktop.

Again, not interested in your opinion. I *can* say that can't I? You're assuming greater danger than is there. It's not a regular practice, and not every operation is *that* intense -- overall, been done, works well. Moving on...

And while I understand you're disappointed that you didn't find the solution you hoped for, you came to a public board and asked a question in a public thread. People are entitled to their opinions and everybody has the same right to post here. It's quite desirable if more experienced users point out that what somebody is attempting to do is a bad idea. Like it or not, that is the answer you got. Nobody is forcing you to be happy with it. But you shouldn't jump at others just because their experience tells them what you want to do is a bad idea.

And I said, he was entitled to his opinion. I was simply informing him that I wasn't interested in it. My response was sufficiently appropriate for his "stupid" comment. It was my opinion on his opinion, if you will. You can simply say something is a bad idea without calling it stupid out of a self-righteous view of your own "greater experience". You know what "experience" has taught me? ... that it is possible, that it works well, and that at least one developer (that of InsomniaX) saw it as useful.

So, again, I'll post a slightly reworded question to the board: How, exactly, does InsomniaX disable sleep?


Best.

[mduell]

Why not use InsomniaX until it becomes unsupported? You can worry about doing it your own way when you need to. Or is there some fweetard issue there?

I llike being able to move between areas with my laptop running uninterrupted; yea a laptop will get pretty toasty, but if it approaches overheating or shock it will protect itself.

[gberz3]

Well, that's the thing. I'm not sure it will ever be "unsupported". I just don't care for lulls between release levels. Granted, the last lull was at 10.4.8, but still, I'd simply like to manage it myself. <jon lovits>...is that so wrooooong? </jon lovits>

That said, I heard back from the devs this morning and they're going to assist. I'll post my findings as soon as I have more.

Best.

[ginoledesma]

Short of writing your own program or delving into the kernel innards, there's no easy way aside from InsomniaX. The many possible reasons Apple doesn't expose this feature has already been stated by many other above. The underlying code is Insomnia, which is released as GPL.

With that said, I can understand why you would want that feature. I have coworkers who use Linux on their Dell laptops. It's rather convenient going into one conference room, do some stuff on the laptop, close the lid, walk back to your desk and pop it open continue on, with whatever tasks previously running now completed. This is especially handy if you have network sessions enabled as well (e.g. file transfer, sending email, IM sessions, etc). This is the one feature that my Mac can't do out of the box without InsomniaX.

[Simon]

In my environment the people who transport their running computers with closed lids do so because sleeping/waking takes ages (Redhat Linux) or causes a BSOD on wake (Vista running on a colleague's Acer). They're not willing to put up with that just to go from one meeting room to the other. Fair enough. But on a Mac that's not an issue. The Mac sleeps (if you turn SS off) and wakes pretty much instantly. Also my ssh connections, remote X sessions, etc. all survive these short sleep periods as long as I reconnect to the same network on wake.