In what is quickly becoming the past in the world of computer operating systems software, there were upgrades and updates.
An upgrade was a major change in software, usually a year apart or more, and often involving a new name, e.g. Windows 10 or iOS 10 El Capitan. An update was a smaller change, usually to fix a specific problem or close a security hole that could happen monthly or even more frequently.
Updates didn’t bring major new features. But that is changing as upgrades become updates.
Microsoft, for example, has said that Windows 10 may be the last numbered version of Windows. They want to switch to the software-as-a-service model, where instead of a big upgrade, the software is changed by constant small updates, Other smaller programs, such as browsers, have been doing this for a while. All of this is possible since we stopped buying software on a disc inside a plastic-wrapped box.
But, as with any change, there are problems. Upgrades have always caused issues as they are sometimes not compatible with hardware. For example, TechMan’s printer began to print gibberish and it seems to have happened after he updated his Mac to El Capitan. As usual, TechMaam found the workaround, but now we have to change the setting to “print as an image” every time we print.
Lately updates have been becoming larger, often called cumulative updates because they incorporate past changes. This summer Microsoft put out a large Anniversary Update for Windows 10. People had problems getting it to install and it broke some Webcam and Kindle functionality. Recently Microsoft has moved cumulative updates that fail to install for some people, getting into a loop off trying to install, failing, shutting down, restarting, trying to install, failing. Ad infinitum.
What seems to be clear is that software companies need to become more careful and do more quality assurance before releasing updates, because they are the future of advancing software.
PC sales crash. How we get operating systems may become less of a concern because sales of PCs continue to slide. Computerworld.com reports that sales of PCs plunged 4 percent over the past quarter and 6 percent year-to-year. Reasons include consumers owning alternative computing devices (phones, tablets) and waiting longer to replace an older PC.
I want my Netflix. Investment bank Piper Jaffray released its semi-annual survey of 10,000 American teens last week and it showed that 37 percent watched Netflix every day compared to Amazon Prime Video and Hulu at 3 percent each. YouTube came in at 26 percent and cable TV at 25 percent.
Movin’ on up. Apple is moving its United Kingdom headquarters to the Battersea Power Station, London's iconic brick building that Pink Floyd pictured on the cover of its 1977 album "Animals." The station's redevelopment is part of a $16.5 billion project in the city, reports BusinessInsider.com.
Apple will relocate its 1,400 UK employees to the building after its $8.8 billion restoration is completed in 2021.
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First Published: October 18, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
