I've still got a ways to go before I will call myself a senior (although there is a local buffet where anyone over 50 qualifies for the "Senior Discount"), but one of the lessons I've learned is that nothing in life is as black and white as some of the people here try to make it out to be.

Sure, being the first to adopt something new is risky. At the same time, there are also risks associated with falling behind. I've seen it happen over and over and over in my career: Someone has something that "works just fine, so why bother changing anything." The years drag on, and the next thing you know, they really need to change something. Had they made a modest effort to stay with the times, it would be easy to make the needed change. But, because they let themselves fall so far behind, now they are in a bind and have to make massive changes in a short period of time in order to get to where they want to be. I've seen this happen in big banks and insurance companies. I've also seen it happen in little mom and pop businesses.

And again, I will make the arguement that, in a competitive marketplace, there is a value to knowing what's going on in the world. There is a value to knowing what's new. There is a value to being able to provide honest, accurate answers to questions clients or employers ask. While the general attitude in this forum is that there is no reason to learn anything new until it is absolutely mandatory, I happen to believe that a true "IT Pro" has a duty to his clients or his employer to stay up-to-date and to know what's coming.

This forum is full of people spouting off about how Windows 8 is too hard to learn, too hard to use on a desktop or laptop with a keyboard and mouse, etc. We have also seen comments from people who have given Windows 8 a fair chance, and they all seem to be saying the same things that I've said: It's not that hard to learn, it's not that drastically different, desktop apps still work the same as they always have, you can still use it with a keyboard and mouse, etc.

While many here are happy to spew distortions and misinformation, I personally feel that a true "IT Pro" has a responsibility to know what is true and accurate, and has a duty to keep his clients or employer properly informed. As I have said before, I have no plans to rush out and upgrade every single computer I own to Windows 8. Still, I have the Windows 8 Preview installed on my laptop, and I am taking the time to learn to use it and understand it because I believe it is in my best interest, as an "IT Pro" to know what's going on.

I know that my ideas will be shunned in this forum because I do not accept the attitude that old stuff is better, as long as it still works, or that new stuff is always just "shiny new toys" with no real value. I do not believe the philosophy that learning new things should be avoided at all costs. I do not go along with the mentality that says anything new should be bashed and beaten and criticized and distorted, just because it is new.

Rick