The Risk/Benefit Ratio

If this chapter has pointed out one thing to you, it’s probably that any type of change can dink up your network. It’s enough to make you run screaming away from any type of upgrade or project, much less the installation of new software. Software, though, tends to be so problematic that it’s a good jumping-off point to talk about the risk-benefit ratio: the risk of change in relation to the benefit that the change will introduce.

The breakneck speed of Internet time means that software developers have unbearable pressure on them to be first to market. This usually translates into quick/nonexistent product testing, which means that the programs are released with at least a few bugs. (The practice of shipping software with ...

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