Don’t be a Fanboy

Baseball and Ice Cream, they were out of Apple Pie.

I recently attended my once a year sporting event. It happened to be a Diamondbacks game with a concert after. That also took care of my one concert a year requirement. I don’t lead a boring life, I’m just not into sports. At the game I was surrounded by a lot of people who are passionate about baseball, and it reminded me of the term “fanboy”.

A fanboy is slang for a fan. It is someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking and enthusiasm for a sports team, person, or product. The person can root for the underdog, or gravitate to the newest powerhouse as the tides change. Either way they get a tunnel vision that makes the unaware of what else is out there, and someone to avoid at parties.

In the context of all things machine control, I am not, or have ever been a fanboy. When the movement started, there were not a lot of players in the field and I made sure we were up to speed with all of them, nothing has changed. It is sometimes difficult to make sure we are current with hardware and software changes, but our success depends on it. When new versions of products are released, there is the learning curve, and the updates that are necessary to get the platform stable and productive. Many people new to the Machine Control industry find this to be a flaw, it is just the nature of the beast.

For those of you who are wondering if there is any wisdom in this blog, here it is. Don’t get so entrenched in the platform that you are using you forget to look around. The simple fact is that all the software and hardware out there works. You will see features that you wish yours had, and the other user will feel the same. You may not be using the same platform in several years, and versatility will be key to staying employed.

You may love Chevys, but take a ride in a Ford and kick the tires. Save the fanboy stuff for sports teams.