The cranky user: Upgrades, downgrades, and the update treadmill (02 Sep 2004)

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The cranky user: Upgrades, downgrades, and the update treadmill (02 Sep 2004)
Once upon a time, back in grandfather days, it used to be that a new software release was an occasion for rejoicing. A new version number indicated a complete rewrite of every last line of code, from scratch. You savored the long-awaited, much-improved functionality that came with the new release, and you knew that there wouldn't be a new version for some time. Vendors typically put more attention into maintenance than upgrades, so a stable version could stay stable for as much as five years. You could actually install a software package and still be using it, happily, years later.

Oh, how times have changed.

Article URL: http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/wa-cranky44.html

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