Why Your Browser is not like A BMW

I want to continue my discussion of software and liability. Again, I'm talking about why software is just not like other products and therefore why the obvious analogies don't hold. Today, I want to talk about self-containment or why your browser is not like your BMW. Here's an example:

A company owns 50 trucks. One breaks down. The Boss still gets to work on time. A company owns three different software packages operating on two different operating systems. One of them develops a bug. The company's financials are delayed by two weeks.

Cars, trucks and planes are self-contained systems. If your water heater in your basement breaks, it doesn't effect your morning commute. Maybe you're a little more aggressive toward other drivers. They are independent, self contained systems. You buy a truck. All you need is gas and oil and you'r ready to go.

Very, very, very little software is so self-contained. As people have learned with the net, software is useful when it works with lots of different pieces. You want your bank talking directly to your Quicken. And you want both of them to work with Excel. Unlike your Toyota, the people who work at the bank, Quicken and Excel have no relationship with each other. Sure, there are industry standards out these standards are often a case of "everything is the same—except when it's not." In the corporate world, things get even worse. While millions of people use both Excel and Quicken, only hundreds, if not dozens of companies, will use the particular combination of products that make your company work.

So, when you think that "software causes problems," we need to think of what we ask software to do. If software companies were more liable for their products, they might not be willing to make do all the things we ask it to.

November 28, 2008 | Email Us

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