Why "Good Enough" Is Good Enough

In an article that reinforces one of Clayton Christensen's observations, Stephen Baker writes:

... Are communications getting worse? Not by a long shot.  We're surrounded by miraculous machines and services, most of them calibrated to a level software engineers have long called "good enough."  In the right circumstances, good enough is great for the entire economy.  A marketplace that's not hung up on fail-safe standards is open to risk and innovation, and drives down prices. Ever since the dawn of the PC--the archetype for a good-enough machine--inventors have been freer than ever to piece together and launch their visions.  Some are brilliant, some are half-baked, many are a blend of the two. A precious few are up and running 99.999% of the time--Bell's old standard. But they cost far less to build.  ¶   The rise of good-enough technology raises different questions for do-it-yourselfers and major corporations alike.  It's no longer whether we can afford a technology, but more often whether we can afford the disruption if and when it fails.  Is it critical?  Do we have backup in place?  Many of us face this question every time we venture from our office with a cell phone.  We don't have "one machine that works all the time," says Dave Morgan, chairman of Tacoda Inc., a New York advertising company.  "We have lots of alternatives that work most of the time. ...

Link:  Business Week.  --Dennis