[ANN] pyknon: Simple Python library to generate music in a hacker friendly way.

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Mon, 30 Jul 2012 19:32:47 +0000, Prasad, Ramit wrote:

>> >> I would suggest you change the theme -- using Firefox 3.6 the page
>> >> is very difficult to read.
>> >
>> > Thanks for the report. Do you mind if I ask why you are using such an
>> > old version?
>> > (It looks fine with Firefox 14.0.1)

Firefox 3.6 is not "such an old version". It is the currently supported 
version in RHEL and Centos, and under the rebranded name Iceweasel, 
Debian Squeeze.


>> That version works for me -- I don't like upgrading to a new version of
>> bugs if I don't have to.  ;)
> 
> Why do you prefer to keep your old security holes?

I don't. But in my experience, the risk of security breaches is *much* 
less than the chance that the new version will break functionality, 
introduce bugs, have a worse user interface, and generally be a step 
backwards rather than forward.

Security fixes are orthogonal to new features and UI changes. Any 
software which forces you to take unwanted new features and accept UI 
degradation in order to get security fixes is doing the wrong thing, and 
almost certainly adding new security holes as fast as they remove them.

When it comes to browsers, I would rather rely on dedicated security 
features like NoScript that has a stable UI and continual functional 
improvements, than to get on the Firefox upgrade treadmill. When I 
upgrade my OS, I'll get a new major release of Firefox. With luck, all 
the kinks will be ironed out by then. Until then, Firefox 3.6 is stable 
and works.

Besides, it is amazing what a better browsing experience you get by 
disabling 99% of all Flash and 95% of all Javascript.

Python is one of the few cases where I can implicitly trust that each 
upgrade is an actual *upgrade*, not a downgrade with a higher version 
number like KDE 3 -> KDE 4, or a sidegrade, like Firefox.


-- 
Steven