# Why do I bother updating software? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 14, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769 "2014-06-14T13:58:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/1 "2014-06-14T13:58:52Z")
I regret it every time. Nearly without exception, updating any program or app I use results in problems. - A Windows update once caused my desktop computer to cease making any sound. I now create a system restore point before any updates, and don’t allow the system to update automatically. I wait several weeks to find out if there are bugs. -Updating has screwed up various functions in Adobe and MS Word that I liked. - Totally done with updating Firefox. Every fucking update makes some minor, unneeded change to the interface layout that I hate and can’t change. Now I’m just leaving it, and relying on several extensions for security. - The podcast app for iPad has updated and done the same thing as Firefox, making unnecessary changes to things I fucking LIKED!!! And it still doesn’t seem to understand that when I delete a podcast, I want it to stay fucking deleted! -The latest is the Mercury browser. Loved, loved, loved it until the update yesterday. Now it’s fucking useless. Their “improvements” caused multiple problems with text sizing and bookmarks. No way that I can see to revert to the earlier version (please advise if this isn’t so), which I’m guessing is Apple’s fault since we apparently aren’t meant to have much control over our devices. Can’t believe I’m channeling William F. Buckley, but I really want to stand athwart the progress of software and shout, “STOP!!!” ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/2 "2014-06-14T16:09:24Z")
When I set up a computer, I do a lot of fiddling with it to get it to run everything I want the way I want it to, and then I don’t touch it. I turned Windows updates off and turn off all of the software updates that I can. With some programs I’ve had to go and find the executable that runs periodically to check for updates and I’ve renamed that so that it couldn’t run, because otherwise the software would keep nagging me to update and wouldn’t give me an option to shut it off. In terms of computer uptime and downtime, windows updates have been far more destructive to me over the years than viruses. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/3 "2014-06-14T16:55:19Z")
What new compelling features do the good people at Java have in store that demands it be updated Every. God. Damned. Day. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/4 "2014-06-14T17:09:41Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > What new compelling features do the good people at Java have in store that demands it be updated Every. God. Damned. Day. Its a non ANSI standard language. They make it up as they go along. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/5 "2014-06-14T17:59:16Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > Its a non ANSI standard language. They make it up as they go along. Standards have nothing to do with it. All the patches to Java are fixing bugs (security holes), not adding features. Standards only address features. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/6 "2014-06-14T21:29:13Z")
If you’re running Office 2013, the recent bollix is well-attested. I got hit and needed to reinstall, and a mate says Microsoft’s reseller forums are alive with complaints. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/7 "2014-06-14T21:40:40Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > If you’re running Office 2013, the recent bollix is well-attested. I got hit and needed to reinstall, and a mate says Microsoft’s reseller forums are alive with complaints. I don’t really understand what you’re saying, but I get the gist is that Office 2013 is another step down? Hey, it’s been seven years now–can I bitch about the shittyness of the ribbon interface without being told I just need to give it a chance? (And a random thankyou to BigT for his thread on putting Firefox back to normal after a recent update-for-update’s sake.) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/8 "2014-06-15T02:14:49Z")
Why do I get app updates on my Droid every single day? Why can’t the developers hold things and update once every couple of weeks or so? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/9 "2014-06-15T03:13:03Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Why do I get app updates on my Droid every single day? Why can’t the developers hold things and update once every couple of weeks or so? They do. But, they don’t all call each other and agree to a particular release date. If you have 50 apps, and each one gets an update twice a year, you’ll get two updates/week on average. And, most people have a _lot_ of apps. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/10 "2014-06-15T03:27:06Z")
Nah, I get updates on Battery Doctor and Clean Master practically every freakin’ day. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/11 "2014-06-15T14:00:29Z")
> [@Llama\_Llogophile](#): > > Totally done with updating Firefox. Every fucking update makes some minor, unneeded change to the interface layout that I hate and can’t change. Now I’m just leaving it, and relying on several extensions for security. Sorry, but that won’t work. Browser extensions generally can’t fix things like buffer overruns, use-after-free problems, privilege escalations, and other [security issues in the browser itself](https://www.mozilla.org/security/known-vulnerabilities/firefox.html). You need to continue to apply the official security updates if you want to fix these problems (and yes, you _do_ want to fix these problems). If you’re annoyed at the UI changes which tend to be applied along with the security fixes, then perhaps you should consider switching to [SeaMonkey](http://www.seamonkey-project.org/). SeaMonkey is the continuation of the Mozilla Application Suite, the internet suite which Firefox was spun off from. The SeaMonkey browser is pretty much identical in terms of capability to Firefox, and the plugins and extensions are almost always compatible, but the interface is much more stable—that is, the developers don’t have some strange need to tinker with it and dumb it down at every release. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/12 "2014-06-15T16:38:21Z")
I sent many an angry e-mail to ITunes. At one time, I foolishly though the updates were to make improvements to safety, speeds, etc Then ITunes did an update that changed the enter app. The interface, the functionally…all changed…FOR THE WORSE. Creating playlists, once easy, is not a chore…things I used to be able to do with a single click…GONE. Motherfuckers!!! ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/13 "2014-06-15T16:41:26Z")
Oh man, the playlists in iTunes. Why, oh why, can I not create a playlist from the artist view? Why do I have to switch to playlist creation mode, with a cover-view-like interface? Why can I switch back to regular view and add songs to the playlists with a right-click, but I have to leave that view (and my place) to make changes? Terrible, and I say that as an apple fan. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/14 "2014-06-15T16:45:17Z")
Another complaint: why can’t I make MP3s from the playlist interface? If I’m making an MP3 CD, I have to convert each individual song, add it to the playlist, burn the CD, then hunt down and delete those MP3s. It used to be able to do it on-the-fly when burning the CD, now it just throws up an error message. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/15 "2014-06-15T17:29:10Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > Oh man, the playlists in iTunes. Why, oh why, can I not create a playlist from the artist view? Why do I have to switch to playlist creation mode, with a cover-view-like interface? Why can I switch back to regular view and add songs to the playlists with a right-click, but I have to leave that view (and my place) to make changes? > > Terrible, and I say that as an apple fan. Huh? Cmd-click on the songs you want, then New-\>Playlist from Selection. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/16 "2014-06-15T18:05:55Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Hey, it’s been seven years now–can I bitch about the shittyness of the ribbon interface without being told I just need to give it a chance? Question for you: what about the ribbon do you dislike? Context of the question: 1 - I am not one of those morons that thinks “change is always good and users are just lazy” - I create software and take great pains to make damn sure that when a user needs to learn something new it’s because it’s a net gain, not “just different”. User’s are lazy (myself included) but for a damn good reason (because we’re busy doing work), therefore change must be carefully calculated. 2 - I’m still adjusting to the ribbon and I have to google to figure out where some things are. I like the idea behind the ribbon from an organization standpoint, so I can’t quite understand why I have to click around so much, not find something and then google for it. I’m wondering if someone has spotted what “the” issue is. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/17 "2014-06-15T19:20:37Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > 2 - I’m still adjusting to the ribbon and I have to google to figure out where some things are. I like the idea behind the ribbon from an organization standpoint, so I can’t quite understand why I have to click around so much, not find something and then google for it. I’m wondering if someone has spotted what “the” issue is. My take is that the ribbon gives you, say, a 20% boost in putting features in your face, when what you really need is a non-sucky help system that has sufficient synonyms for common and uncommon problems. We know help systems can be improved because google is superior to Office’s help button and google is a generalist facility. Another approach might involve the ability to toggle interfaces. That would permit some redundancy in attempting to do a task. All of the above are just an hypothesis. Even today, error codes are opaque: the field is still young. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/18 "2014-06-17T18:35:20Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Question for you: what about the ribbon do you dislike? I’m a keyboard person. From Windows 3.1 thru Office 2003, all of the shortcut keys remained the same, & each window was available at the top, with all of the features in it contained w/in a dropdown. With the stoopit ribbon, they changed shortcut keys, & only made functions available in _that_ ribbon. Typical Microsquash. Being hung, drawn & quartered, while simultaneously being hit with a high-pressure firehose shooting acid is far too nice for the bastard who thought up/approved that change! ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-bother-updating-software/690769/19 "2014-06-17T18:56:13Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Question for you: what about the ribbon do you dislike? \ There’s a really interesting talk given by Microsoft at their MIX08 conference called [The Story of the Ribbon](http://channel9.msdn.com/Events/MIX/MIX08/UX09). It discusses and shows some of the alternatives to the ribbon (meaning it could have been worse). The video is over an hour long, but the PowerPoint slides are also there for downloading. At least it makes it look like Microsoft tried doing some research on this before forcing it on everyone.