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On the contrary, continuously applying fresh duct tape to a fundamentally broken system allowing it to limp along allows the opponents to point to it and say "s
by jjk166 3y ago
On the contrary, continuously applying fresh duct tape to a fundamentally broken system allowing it to limp along allows the opponents to point to it and say "see, the system works as is" and the bias in favor of upholding the status quo wins out. By allowing things to fail, you force people to get engaged to do something to fix the problem, at which point actual change becomes possible.
- thfuran 3y agoAllowing important systems to fail is not without cost.
- mschuster91 3y agoAt some point, the immediate cost of fail-and-fix is lower than the total short to mid term cost of not fixing it. The problem arises when systems are intentionally set up to fail (e.g. USPS pensions, gutting education), because those who set them on a doom course usually do so to offer a privatized "alternative" to pocket the profits.
- jjk166 3y agoWhat course of action doesn't come with a cost? Fixing things well is expensive but fixing things poorly is generally more expensive in the long run.
- thfuran 3y agoBut the point is that what fixing something well means depends on the context. Total software re-writes are rarely a good idea for large production systems, and software isn't special in that regard.
- jjk166 3y agoYeah, but we don't care about preserving the existing large production system, we explicitly want to switch to a different, more appropriate system.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> By allowing things to fail Nothing in this context is "allowing things to fail." It's simply strengthening rightsholders' hands.
- jjk166 3y agoIt's a failure for those who want to weaken rightsholders' hands, which presumably includes anyone who wants to see the patent system completely torn down. The point is if you want people to act, they need to first feel the pain of inaction. If the status quo is tolerable, there is less incentive to put in the great effort necessary for reform.