Upgrade Schmupgrade
I don't know how much this affects you guys, but at work our computers are frequently getting upgraded with newer versions of software. Every now and then we are forced to upgrade programs like Microsoft Visio or Adobe Acrobat as the company tries to stay "current" with the latest versions of the software we use.
On my home computer, I don't use a lot of programs, but am still often reminded to upgrade the ones that I do. Such as ITunes, AIM, or the latest Windows service pack or security patch. Usually, I find myself either choosing the "Remind Me Later" button or check the "Don't Show This Again" box.
It used to be that I liked to upgrade my programs. When a newer version of something came out, it usually meant more features and better performance. The perfect example I can think of was in Broodwar, where the patches helped fix bugs and prevent maphackers (temporarily, at least).
But lately I've been feeling like upgrades don't do much anymore, and in a lot of cases they actually mess things up more than they help.
- In AIM, the newer versions let you use buddy icons and whatnot, but now I can't get rid of the ads, which for that matter have gotten more irritating as well. I actually think twice before signing on sometimes, because I hate dealing with those noisy commercials that come on at random times in my buddy list window. No amount of buddy icons or advanced talk features is worth that, in my opinion.
- On my old computer, after I formatted the hard drive, I refused to install the Flash plugin for my browser. Sure, there's some cool Flash animations out there and a fun game once in a while, but more often than not it's used to make websites needlessly complicated and their ads exponentially more intrusive.
- I haven't upgraded my Winamp since college because I'm afraid the newer versions will take away some features like CD ripping, due to all the legal hubbub about mp3s and copyrights and stuff in the past few years. That, and I just like my Winamp as it is: simple, loads quickly, and doesn't take a lot of memory to run in the background.
- I stopped keeping up with the Windows patches and security fixes after one of the Service packs slowed down my computer severely. Not like my computer is old either. It just slowed everything down so much that I decided I'd rather live with the security risks than deal with a bogged down system every day.
When did the word "upgrade" turn into a negative instead of a positive? It's kind of become like registering your software, which if you're like me, you say "F that" whenever a program asks you to register. These were supposed to be good things yet I no longer want to go near either one.
