[Info-vax] OT: Elephants Can't Dance

[Arne Vajhøj]

Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> I deal in the Open Source world at work (due mostly to budget constraints)
> and nothing annoys me more than having students and faculty come to me
> with a request that we run out and grab (and install int he middle of the
> semester!) the latest and greatest version of a product who's update
> cycle is measured in days.  Why do the want the new one?  Does it fix a
> problem they were having?  Does it offer a feature they absolutely need?
> Of course not, but it's the newest version and we should be running it.
> I am working on a new web server right now.  They want it to include the
> latest version of PHP.  Which breaks every one of their PHP based web
> pages!!

Learn them to write better PHP.

Newer versions of PHP is relative good compatible with
older versions.

What breaks is when code relied on features that has been declared
problematic security wise for years and finally get disabled
system wide by an upgrade.

> What ever happened to "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

It still exist.

But there is also "There only two types of systems: those
being actively developed and those declared dead".

Arne