It used to be, that I was the first person in line to download new software. I’d sign up for beta access, email developers for early looks at what they were working on, or even install beta software on my daily devices.
But as time went on, I valued my productivity more than having the latest software. I have an awful lot of work to get done in a short period of time. I don’t have time to deal with the bugs of beta software anymore. So I generally wait several months to update to the latest operating system, or wait until a device had two or three revisions before purchasing it.
But now I feel even less inclined to update my software because I’m worried about what will be in the update that I do not want. Or, what features will I lose? Or, what new policy or restriction will be included?
Apple, in general, is headed in a direction with its software that is even more locked down than ever. They are now the company that Steve Jobs wouldn’t like. Each time there is an update I worry about what will be locked down next.
WordPress, software that I use everyday for work and also am writing this post in right now, has an uncertain future and each update to its core or its many plugins has me code spelunking before I update.
More and more software stores its data only in the cloud. For some web apps, I’m ok with that and understand the model. But for many apps local files would be much better.
Not to mention the “AI all the things” fad happening right now. I’m not against LLMs, but I’m not for forcing LLMs into software for people that would rather not use them. Each application I update I see sprinkles of AI-related things that I may not need. And these models aren’t tiny (yet?).
So, I’m now even slower to update and less likely to be in line to have the latest software available.
I want software to be; fast, reliable, and simple. I want open software. I want software with a business model that I understand and allows me to pay. I want files. Local files. I want to own my own data. I want privacy. I want encryption. I want to choose when and how to use a local LLM. And I want to know what is contained in a software update (with great detail) so that I can choose if I want to update it.
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