On Fri, Nov 13, 2009 at 12:38 AM, <steve-ALUG@hst.me.uk> wrote:

runlevel ten wrote:

On Tue, Nov 10, 2009 at 11:22 AM, <steve-ALUG@hst.me.uk <mailto:steve-ALUG@hst.me.uk>> wrote:

On the other hand, the adage "If it aint broke, don't fix it" is
often relevant!
:-)
Steve

The trouble is, there are many people in this world who use that phrase to mean "It is broke, but let's not fix it until it stops working, hopefully it will be someone else's problem by then.".

I don't think I've come across that usage. As far as I'm concerned, if it's working it aint broke, and if it is not working it's broke and required fixing. Simples!

Steve

It's perfectly possible for something broken to work! Ways this can happen are many, and such things can be just hunky dory for the most common cases in the here and now.

When tolerances get pushed or corner cases happen, underlying brokenness shines through - quite often to the detriment of those competent folks who have to fix it and those unfortunate users who reap the consequences.

I wouldn't dispute the practical merits of moving on when something works, but the fact a bridge is standing five minutes after the engineers have left, does not prove the bridge is fit for purpose!