While in the maze of twisty, etc.
Who has the time to read all the different install notes that come with software, particularly open source? Let me rephrase that. Who should read all the different, etc. etc. Well, that would be me, before I nonchalantly erase a program that I find useful.
In doing routine maintenance on my usual Windows install, I noticed that one program (see above) was installed in two different versions. Naturally, I erased the older version, and carried on. Until today, when I needed that program, and things were broken. Now, I can’t get excited about such moments; after all, most of my working life was spent cleaning up the virtual mistakes made by others. Instead, I went to the source site, grabbed the latest version and did a new install. It now works, but there are differences.
One of my preferred “hooks” in the program (Audacity, for the curious) was something called “chains”. A way to convert one type of audio format to another, painlessly/seamlessly. That possibility was removed, somewhere along the path of twisty mazes and passages that make using open source software so much fun. The tool is now stored as a macro, and the command structure is obtuse. Again, part of the challenge, or something like that.
I’ve learned some things today, and how to use a new macro routine is just one of them. Another is that software maintenance should be done methodically, with copious documentation. I won’t, but I do recognize the strength of structured technique. Thank you to the kid in the next cubicle, who was actually a programmer. He showed me an alternative to wandering aimlessly seeking a way outside.
