Pickle "upgrades"

When did it change, that when you order a sandwiches or a burger, that the default become a "yes" for pickles?

I know it wasn't always this way. I remember growing up that it was an option - some liked pickles, others of us wanted no part of those diseased, vile interlopers oozing their putrid juices on the rest of our food.

Somehow, somewhere along the line, it changed. Now you get a pickle automatically. To get things the way they were, you now have to exert effort. You have to take steps to get things back to the base state, and even then, there is the risk that your food will get contaminated. A changed that is supposedly for our good is forced upon us, whether we want it or not.

I feel the same way about technology and software upgrades.

I don't know why there are so many upgrades and changes to devices that I use and like. Changes in appearance, changes in functionality, changes in what information is captured (and shared) occur on a weekly basis it seems. Security upgrades and fixing software bugs I can see, but that should not affect the user interface; those changes should all be behind the scenes. It doesn't explain or justify the changes in functionality upon items we have gotten used to and liked.

The answer for the change probably all comes down to one of two reasons: Money and Whiners. Either someone figured out a new way to make money on a device that we already liked. So a change was made - sorry - an "upgrade". Or, there was a group of very vocal proponents who wanted things different. I would like to think that this group represents the majority, but I doubt it. They are just the loudest, so they got their way. Just like the pickle lobby. Now we all have to suffer. The "improvement" makes people who were happy and loyal, annoyed, and the whiners wanted the change get rewarded for being a pain.

You can call me a luddite, but it should be taken it as a complement to the manufacturer that I liked the old, non-upgraded stuff. I am not looking to change. You made a program that was good the first time and I have no need or desire to change. Don't piss me off by trying to "upgrade" it.

Enjoy upgrading your new apps and software for all your devices this weekend. I'll be watching movies on my VCR and playing Atari 2600.