Software Updates

Ha ha ha ha ho ho ...whoops I've fallen off my chair.

Just don't start me off!

If we didn't have a new 'Windoesn't ' O.S. every 5 mins maybe we'd have stuff that worked and we could interface to.

I still have 85 on my PC at work 'cos I know it will run all my development kit without falling over too often. I have no confidence that XP Vista, 2010, or whatever will work on any of my hardware/software.

Backward compatible? My arse!

(Rant over...normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.)

On the one hand, the ease with which a software update can be distributed via the internet would certainly encourage some developers to release products before they are fully tested and known good. It's too easy to think "Let's get it out and fix the problems later".

The other side to that argument is that software updates also make it possible to add new features in response to user feedback. Also, the product may become available sooner than it would have done otherwise, and prove useful despite the odd bug.

As an engineer who uses a number of software packages to develop products over a long term, the lack of stability in a particular software tool can be a pain. I may have one project which compiles fine based on a certain version of a tool, but run into problems on a subsequent project. The supplier of the tool probably only wants to support the latest version of their product, so you have to upgrade. Then your previous projects may stop working or work differently.

So in summary, to quote a Monty Python sketch - "Splunge"

Good points.

'The other side to that argument is that software updates also make it possible to add new features....'

But, as anyone who has ever writen software knows...

adding new features can also add new bugs... just as you said

'It's too easy to think "Let's get it out and fix the problems later".'

(I'm glad it's not just me that has worries with dev't kit/tools)

Del

I have a problem with being forced to spend my money updating hardware to keep up with software changes and vice-versa. Although it sounds like Del has managed to stay outside of it, most of us find ourselves having to update software for some reason (security requirements by the Inland Revenue being one in my case), then finding the new software is so full of 'guff' we don't use we have to buy a new machine/disk/processor(eek don't go there) and so on and so...

The same goes for telephone connections. In this age of 'cheap' communications I now spend much the same a month as I once did per quarter on 'phone' bills -inc broadband - which I hardly use but which brings me back he point. I have a bill for telecommunications which is larger than ever so that I can receive updates.

How dull.

Yeh...At one point we had a BT phone line, an NTL phone line, NTL cable TV. And my Son had BT broadband!!!!!! Plus we all had mobiles.... we'd gone telecom mad.

I've since rationalised it all to NTL (or Virgin Media or whatever they call themselves this week) and it's saving plenty of money. We are all so hooked into inertia selling of this stuff...just add up those direct debits and cry .

NTL has had a bad press but they've been fine for us...my Son downloads heaps of music stuff and there's no extra charges (yet?)

Del