Nigel McFarlane

Already There Syndrome

Written by admin on May 13, 2009

I hear the same remark from Microsoft advocates about Mozilla on Microsoft Windows over and over again: “Why would I install that? There’s already a Web browser [Internet Explorer - IE] there.” This semi-argument is so weak that few bother even to debate it. Yet it is resorted to so frequently that there is no choice but to examine it seriously.

Firstly, there isn’t a Web browser “already installed”. Someone put it there. Before the browser was “already there”, there was an operating system “already there”. Before the operating system was “there”, hardware was “there”. And before the hardware was the need for a computer by a user. All these items were put there for the needy user by a person in an IT role; that person ticked the boxes or built the master distribution that included IE. If you happen to have IE, then it’s a result of a (perhaps historical) strategy on someone’s part. Assumedly someone is responsible for that past decision. Software and hardware do not grow out of the ground like weeds.

* The starting point for all ICT equipment is a blank slate, a strategy, and a decision.

A slightly clearer way to express this objection is to say: “We do not like to layer extra software on top of a Microsoft Windows install, as it increases complexity”. At face value this may seem likely, but the management effort required to maintain any Microsoft Windows computer is widely reported to be generally high. The number of Service Packs, Hot Fixes, Security Patches, drivers, install options and configuration items is very large. Windows itself is thus a multiply installed and layered system. Any golden rule about layered complexity is well broken just by installing Windows in a functional and professional way. And for many Windows installations, there are the immediately applied further layers such as Microsoft Office (and patches and options) or “must have” tools like Acrobat Reader.

* Layering is an inescapeable overhead when maintaining Windows.

To cry about complexity in IT, however, is to find yourself without a job. Many prefer to avoid the layering interpretation of their objection. Instead, the simple statement is that it is wasteful to duplicate a software function already served by one tool with a further tool. IE, it is said, already does what Mozilla would do.