Naught-to-Digital Media in Five Seconds: A Greener OS

ASUS have released a new generation of motherboards with ‘instant on' Splashtop feature. The user has the choice: wait for the full OS to load (Windows XP for example) or dive straight into photo management or web browsing in less than 5 seconds. Although only suited to basic tasks, a fully functional OS at you fingertips would seem to have its uses. Splashtop is a built in Linux-based operating environment and is being promoted as a green alternative: no boot up time = less energy consumed. Are immense electricity bills a necessary evil of digital media or should green issues always come first?