A Ramble About Upgrades

Recently, Microsoft released the latest version of its operating system (OS), Windows 8, to the computer hardware manufacturers and to those savvy enough to upgrade their own computers from the previous versions. Microsoft does this periodically; about every three years or so. Ubuntu, the operating system I usually use on my personal computer, does a regular release about every six months and a long term support release about every two years.

I'll admit, I was one of those computer junkies who kept getting lured by the promise of newer and better software. I would see some new version number of a program I already had and phrases like “Oooh! Shiny!” would enter my subconscious mind. Newer features... better graphics... I had to have it. I even began, as many do, to start using developmental versions of software (in other words, not ready for daily use) so that I could stay, not just on the cutting edge, but the bleeding edge.

The problem with this though is that it's based on a dirty little secret of the software and computer industry. What drives software upgrades isn't the desire for better software. It's the desire to keep people buying newer computers and hardware. Computer manufacturers can't make money if people are satisfied with the computers they already have. Software that has more features or better graphics usually requires better hardware which means that you have to either upgrade or buy another computer. If you don't, chances are either it won't run at all, or it may crash your otherwise perfectly functional computer system. Often, they rope people into upgrading by promising that the newer version will be easier to use, have better security, and will make all the problems they've been having fade away.

The truth of the matter is that there is usually nothing wrong with previous stable versions. A case in point is Windows 3. There was nothing wrong with this operating system. It did exactly what it was supposed to. It gave you a user friendly environment to find and run the programs you needed to. You could write with it. You could network with it. You could play games with it. You could organize your life with it. A lot of software was written for it. I know of people who are still unhappy with the direction Microsoft took when they moved away from it, and didn't appreciate being forced to relearn how to use their computers.

Another case in point is Word. It is a known fact that there are something like a thousand new features in the latest version of Microsoft Word that almost no one knows are there and neither are they used by virtually anyone. The old versions of Windows, Word, and other programs worked just fine and got the job done. A lot of aficionados find that they still do. Apple's Mac OS is another case in point. I had the privilege of using Mac OS 9.22, the last version before OSX was introduced about ten or eleven years ago. There was very little this OS couldn't do even in comparison to a “modern” operating system. The switch to OSX seemed kind of pointless.

After moving away from Windows, I continued the upgrade bandwagon with Ubuntu for years. I finally jumped off of it with the last, long term version of Ubuntu, 12.04. I could upgrade my computer to the latest version, 12.10, for free. But I came to realize that I really don't need to. My computer and everything on it works just fine the way it is. Maybe it won't always, but it does now.

The devotion some computer nerds like myself have to their preferred operating system has often been likened to a religious devotion. There are Windows devotees, Mac devotees, and Ubuntu Linux devotees. Most are fairly reasonable and open minded, but some are extremists who would happily see the other's OS go down in flames (and often try to bring it about). But that's not where I'm going with this.

There is a train of thought among people that one's faith needs to be upgraded periodically. That there was something wrong with the old way of believing and practicing one's faith. This train of thought is often encouraged by the “Christian” media industry. One can make some educated guesses as to why. “Are you still stuck in the old version of your Christianity? You need Christianity 8.0 with cutting edge graphics and better security!”

It sounds ridiculous, but let's face it, it's not new. It's something that has been continuously handed to us for centuries. Every split, every division, every new theology or heresy within the Church is due to something like this. If people were satisfied with their Christian practice the way it was they wouldn't go looking elsewhere for a change.

“Something's not working the way I think it should with my Christianity! Oh, I need an upgrade!” At that point, the question really needs to be asked, “Did anyone properly show you how to use it?” “Oh, that version of Christianity looks so much more exciting! It must be better!” Chances are, it's a resource hog which will drag down your system, cause it to crash, and force you to pay through the nose to get more expensive hardware. “Oh, but that version has so many more features than mine does?” Have you even bothered to learn to use the features yours already has? “Oh, but it's brand new! Newer is always better!” It was the stance of the pre-Nicene Church (the Church of the first three centuries) that the full revelation of the Gospel had already been given by Christ to His Apostles and that He wouldn't have kept anything from them; especially not anything important. Thus, they were constantly refuting people like the Gnostics, the Docetists, the Ebionites, and many others who continuously claimed to have a newer, shinier version of Christianity. The Fathers of the Church never tried to add to the revelation of the Gospel, only to defend it and explain it as best they could, and they wrote manual after manual to that effect. “Oh, but I need to stay on the bleeding edge of my Christian faith!” To this I must respond, why? The reason why they call it the bleeding edge is because developmental versions usually don't work right and can cause your system to fail miserably if you're not careful. The latest version isn't worth it if it fries your processor to a little puddle of goo, or trashes the rest of your faith so that it becomes totally unusable.

Some may find my analogy here a little far fetched. Others will know exactly what I'm talking about because they've been there. As for myself, I've finally learned to be satisfied with what I found that works. I suppose you could say that I've downgraded my Christianity to the old stable version from the more “upgraded” version I grew up with and I can honestly say that when I look at the newer shinier versions, I'm not impressed any more; not in the slightest. It doesn't take long until you see the bugs in the programming begin to appear and goof things up. I like things to just work well, and mine does. Is it the easiest to use? No. Does it have the latest eye popping graphics? No. Does it have thousands of new and exciting features? No. Its claim to fame is that it is absolutely rock hard stable, impervious to malware, and does everything it is supposed to do. Have I learned how to use all its features yet? No. I'm still working on that, but at least I don't have to spend time focusing on features I don't need and would never bother with in the first place.

Before you head out to pick up that latest version, think about whether or not it's really what you need and consider that newer isn't always better.