The less you drive a car the less wear and tear it will have, leading to fewer repairs.

 

Your logic makes sense, but the internet is a becoming ubiquitous in society, and I would be very frustrated NOT having it at home....

I have a circa 2000 Dell XPS700r that came with W98 and 128 mb memory.

 

Still have same HD 40gb I think and I was on the internet daily for hours for years

 

But it has 384 mb memory and XP now.  And granddaughter uses it daily now.

i agree with hrova.  i'd go crazy though if i can't go online.  :)

To each his/her own, but I'm curious to know what are your reasons for having a computer at home if Internet access is not included?

Handling has more to do with hard drive failure than use does.  If a drive is never subjected to shock--and unmounted they are as fragile as eggs--it can be expected to last 8+ years while being used.

 

My 1998 XPS, with its cavernous 8G drive, has been in daily operation for 10 years, on the internet, without failure AND without antivirus.  It still runs the original factory image W98.

 

However, computer products today are VERY unlikely to last that long, even if you don't use them at all.  Why?  Cost reduction.  Remember when the price went from $2000 to $500?  Surely you don't think for a minute you get the same product for $500.

 

On the virus issue, be aware that all major email providers now scan email for viruses using the same exact definition files you're paying Norton/McAfee to subscribe to.  If a virus is introduced which has no identifiable parts from previous releases, it takes no less than 3 working days before the definition files are updated, during which time you have no protection at all.  Subscription antivirus is largely a hoax to bilk you out of money.

 

Now, if you're imprudent about what websites you go to, you most definitely can get malicious code infestations.  Antivirus can protect you from that, to an extent.  But the extent isn't as high as you'd like to think it is.

 

You do want a competent firewall, so that nefarious users can't do something to you behind your back.  And a bi-directional one prevents spyware from phoning home, even if you do get it.