“Close enough for government work!” This is the battle cry of the bureaucrat; a phrase uttered in jest (and seriously)… countless times a day… in sprawling cube farms bathed in the comforting glow of fluorescent light. It’s an allusion to the belief that government standards are lower than in the private sector and that job security is higher, so why go the extra mile?

A similar question could be put forward in the world of smartphone software engineering. Why go the extra mile to deliver higher quality software? If you’re anything like me, your PC suffers blue screens, it hangs, etc. and you probably grudgingly accept it, reboot and move on with your day, right? How about your smartphone? I can honestly say that my phone is far more reliable than my laptop. In fact, I almost wonder if it’s too reliable. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that it can run seemingly forever without a reboot, but I wonder at what cost? MORE