Why do software installation or updates always go very fast up to 90% complete, then the last 5-10% takes so much longer?
In: Technology
Rarely are computer tasks able to be divided into uniform parts with each requiring the same amount of time to complete. Instead the overall task is composed of a host of unique functions, much like a zoo is composed of animals of varying sizes and types that need to be feed. Sure I know that the elephants take longer to feed hay than the birds need bird seed, but there are hundreds of birds and only a couple of elephants. And the cats need their food thawed and divided and carefully served to avoid being eaten. On top of that the monkey’s sometimes throw the food back or try to steal some more. So a zoo keeper knows most of these problems, but inevitably its the little stuff that are forgotten that takes 80% of the time. Nursing animals and sick animals, missing food, spoiled food, etc…. The Devil is in the details. So programmers can plan on the big stuff, but we typically underestimate the amount of time that all of the details take.
And every computer is like a different zoo, some with more monkeys and some with pre-thawed meat, …. So its hard to estimate.
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