Why do computers/phones have a restart option along with the power off option?

Couldn't users just turn off their computers(via the shutdown option) and use the physical button to turn it on again ? Why did they added an extra button ? It's not saving too much time or anything.

7 points | by saonnet 1 day ago

8 comments

  • mikewarot 1 day ago
    If every update required a manual power cycle, almost all of the internet would be off, most waiting for one of the far too few technical staff to cycle it back on manually.

    Our phones wouldn't wake us up in the morning, as they too would be off.

  • brudgers 1 day ago
    Shutdown can be a lengthy process.

    Bootup can be a lengthy process.

    Automatically is the fastest way to do both.

    And get back to work.

  • PeterStuer 1 day ago
    On Windows restart is not the same as shutdown/power on. I had a pc thar could not restart, but could boot after shutdown.
  • apothegm 1 day ago
    Yes, we used to do that, back in the dinosaur (286-486, DOS and Win3.1) days.

    “Have you tried turning it off and then on again” became such a common response to Windows 95+ being kind of crap that they started to include the option for convenience.

    • jjcob 10 hours ago
      Nah, back in those days PCs even had a RESET button. So even when it was trivial to turn it off and on again, there was still a designated button to restart the computer.
  • dlcarrier 1 day ago
    Power-up is hard on hardware, but restarting is often needed for software reasons, so the software makes it an option.
  • hulitu 6 hours ago
    > Why do computers/phones have a restart

    Kids those days. There is no problem in Windows (and lately, Android) that a restart cannot fix.

  • spottedmarley 1 day ago
    Is that too many options for you?
    • shahbaby 1 day ago
      Might be an Apple UI designer.
  • ZeroDayDreamer 11 hours ago
    [dead]