day 56

the perpetuation of complexity 3: upgrades and software bloat by Vimal Goel

Yesterday, we discussed some of the ways in which corporate buying decisions contribute to bloated software. Individuals purchasers, on the other hand, tend to look carefully at affordability. They typically do some cost-benefit analysis before a purchase: How many obsolete machines can I find room for in the closet? If I had known that a document with just my first name in it balloons from 2K using Word for Windows 2.0, to 12K using Word 6, would I have upgraded? Am I getting sufficient extra jollies by upgrading? The answers are often a very simple "No," and the user doesn't spend the money to make the upgrade. There is some hard evidence to document this reluctance to upgrade. For example, the demand for books covering older versions of software is increasing. Booksellers in the US are increasing their shelf-space devoted books about older software.

the perpetuation of complexity 1 2 Daily Dose Index