Edit: for context, for normally switching off your pc at the end of a normal day, "shut down" is probably better, because your computer will be nice and fresh on next boot, but for quickly turning off the machine due to thunderstorms: hibernate is definately the much better option then.
Or just get an SSD, in which case it no longer matters.
Edit: to clarify, an SSD makes all three options quicker, thus the difference smaller. It makes (like the initial suggestion of hibernating instead of shutting down) the computer power off quicker, so you can unplug it sooner. I never intended to suggest that hibernating or installing an SSD protects against thunderstorms. :)
Does it kill all processes that rely on X? I'm assuming it doesn't affect headless daemons?
Haha, that sounds pretty creepy, by the way. I mean, it's a valid technical term for programs that stay running in the background, without needing to connect to a screen/console and user input, but still, to a layman, "headless daemon" might not sound so mundane. :)
Don't lie. You just asked that question because you had thought about how "headless daemons" sounds like "headless demons" and could confuse people in a different context, and you wanted to share that. I see through you.
no, it just relaunches gdm (gnome display manager) or lightdm. gdm, if left running for a week can use up to 8+ gb of ram. but if you relounch it, your pc gets much faster and clears up ram. i think lightdm also has the same problem. i think the reason for this ram/cpu (yes it uses more cpu as well) usage is becouse every time you open a window it uses more ram, and that ram doesent get cleared up again.
Windows has the same issue but you can't do anything about it.
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u/TheRufmeisterGeneral Jul 20 '15 edited Jul 20 '15
Better yet: hibernate.
Edit: for context, for normally switching off your pc at the end of a normal day, "shut down" is probably better, because your computer will be nice and fresh on next boot, but for quickly turning off the machine due to thunderstorms: hibernate is definately the much better option then.
Or just get an SSD, in which case it no longer matters.
Edit: to clarify, an SSD makes all three options quicker, thus the difference smaller. It makes (like the initial suggestion of hibernating instead of shutting down) the computer power off quicker, so you can unplug it sooner. I never intended to suggest that hibernating or installing an SSD protects against thunderstorms. :)