random thoughts....
regarding computer technology and the old adage, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", it is clear to me that folks who subscribe to this axiom may be missing out on some vital software upgrades. advancements in hardware capabilities are worth noting also, but for the moment, i'd like to just focus on software.
let's look at firewalls, for example. a user downloads and installs a firewall, configures it just right to run on his or her system, and all is well with the world. soon, the software vendor announces a new version of the firewall is available. the user is happy with his or her trouble-free older version, and the upgrade doesn't appear to have that many more enhancements. a choice is made....
"if it ain't broke, don't fix it". the user doesn't install the new version.
this scenario repeats itself (you fill in the blank) number of times. once more, twice more, three times more. no functionality probs with the user's firewall, so he or she is bound and determined to stick with it.
now for the good part.
meanwhile, all the dubious and devious little boys and girls that like to hack and crack have been hard at work. they have uncovered untold numbers of new and exciting ways to slip their code past the good guy's firewall. they are not troubled in the least by the software vendors who build tighter and tighter firewall apps to defeat them, because the know that these new versions will only reach a small segment of the user population. they know that there are huge numbers of folks out there with old software that "ain't broke" (or so they think), who would just like to forget about all these upgrades and patches and just use their computers without all the hassle.
one really has to wonder what the "if it ain't broke" folks must be thinking. in the case of firewall upgrades, have these folks determined that all the hackers have decided to stick with yesterday's methods of intrusion?
a common response one often hears from the "if it ain't broke" crowd is that the software manufacturers are just cranking out "new and improved" versions that have slightly tweaked interfaces and little else to offer, and they just want us to spend our money for nothing. well, that's tough to rebut, because if you feel this way, i doubt that anyone is ever going to be able to convince you or demonstrate to you otherwise.
however and where ever you come down on this, one thing is certain. compatibility issues will begin to rear their nasty little head, and you will eventually have to install newer versions of your software simply because fewer and fewer applications will work with the "little house on the prairie" programs you have been stubbornly clinging to.
and so, in the end, the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mind-set may derive some sense of satisfaction from saving money, or not encountering some potential software conflict. but i am of the opinion that new threats and new challenges and new program environments exist, and they are constantly changing and evolving, and we, as pc users, must evolve along with them, or suffer certain unfavorable and unfortunate consequences. |
