Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
mance, or involve some combination of these. As an individual
user, therefore, an upgrade seems appropriate if the previous ver
sion contains errors that you find troublesome, if you would like to
take advantage of new features, or if you find your current work
takes too long. Conversely, if the new version contains features you
neither want nor need, then you might question the advisability of
upgrading your software. Of course, to know what the upgrade
contains, you will first have to do some research and read about it.
It can be very difficult to know whether or not an upgrade is ap
propriate; you might want to consult reviews or colleagues before
changing your software.
Also, if you do not have a strong need to upgrade immedi
ately, you might want to postpone an upgrade until a time of rel
atively low activity or stress. For example, if you are writing a
thesis for a class, studying for final exams, or working on your fi
nancials in preparation for filing income tax returns that are due
shortly, then this probably is not a good time to change your
computer system. An upgrade at this time might be helpful in
some ways, but you might be in serious trouble if something were
to go wrong.
In cases where you are working as part of a larger group—in
a class at school or with a department at work—the notion of
“broken software” needs to be expanded to include problems
sharing material with your peers. For example, if the school or
company upgrades its software, then your old files might not
work properly on the revised system. If the materials are for your
use only, then you might get along fine with the previous version
and not care about using them at school or work. However, if
your materials are to be shared, then an upgrade may be needed.
In this case, because of the incompatibility of your files, your old
version is essentially “broken,” and the upgrade provides a cru
cial fix.
As a final observation, when connected to a network, some of
today's software may automatically check with a central server on
the World Wide Web to determine whether new versions are avail
able. In some cases, the software may report periodically about
what is available and ask you when or if you want to upgrade. In
other cases, software licensing may allow the vendor to download
upgrades automatically—without the need for your authorization.
