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ook before you Weep
Buying New Now or Better Later. We consumers, you and I, are being
inundated by a tidal wave of advertising telling us that the next greatest
thing on earth is about to drop onto our desktop. We have been dazzled in the
past. We expect more. The problem is that these announcements are almost
always heavy on the 'what' but light on the 'how' and 'when'.
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| I've been there, and there too. For years as a
system programmer, I have relied on good fortune and the patience of my
unsuspecting users, in addition to my formidable skills, to produce a working
system. Weeding out and resolving system bugs and unexpected 'features' is an
ongoing process. No program ever written is, ever has been, or even can be
complete, finished and perfected. The best we can hope for is that the big,
bad problems have been resolved and corrected. On the other hand, as a
program user, I need software that will perform as specified on the package.
How can we protect ourselves? First, deal with reputable software
developers. They put a lot of money and time (hopefully) into fixing,
re-fixing, and re-re-fixing programs (called patches, incremental version
upgrades, or new improved versions). Second, hold your horses. Unless you
have an overwhelming need to be the first on the block with the new box on
your shelf, why not wait a bit till the magazines and other users have time
to review and evaluate them? And finally, be realistic, be wise. Don't plunk
down your money because the box is real pretty and new. Caveat emptor - Buyer
beware - still applies regardless of that guarantee on the box. Once you have
opened it, often you are married to that program and any problems hiding in
there. If you look first and still decide you love him/her in spite of
his/her failings, you still have a chance to find happiness. Go in with your
eyes open and good luck! |
