Updates Available? Think Twice.

“Software Updates Available.”

 

Three seemingly harmless words, filled with the potential of upending your workflow.

 

Glitches. Bugs. Spinning beach balls. However you describe it, it comes down to this: compatibility issues.

 

Take ‘El Capitan,’ (OS X 10.11), the latest version of the Mac desktop OS for instance. Greeted by a picturesque landscape image, users are invited to “get” the newest OS. Who wouldn’t want to do that? I mean, do you see that landscape banner? It’s gorgeous! Plus, it’s new! What downside could there possibly be?

 

Well, among the early adopters of El Capitan were more than a handful of Microsoft Outlook 2011 users. A popular email application in the business world, early attempts at launching Outlook 2011 resulted in one thing: a spinning beach ball followed by the application unexpectedly quitting. Exactly what you want to have happen when opening your work email, right?

 

Microsoft has since released an update to the Outlook application, addressing the issue. However, this highlights the issue in assuming software is compatible just because it’s made publicly available.

 

Many of the larger players in the market – Adobe, Microsoft, etc. – have migrated towards a more cloud-based model, enabling more frequent software updates and patches. This is a doubled-edged sword in that yes, it’s easier to get the latest and greatest features…but at the risk of those updates actually being 100% compatible.

 

Are updates always incompatible? No, absolutely not. But, it’s something to keep in mind.

 

If you’re prompted with a “Update now?” question, don’t hesitate to reach out.

 

We’re here to help.