If It Works...You Should Touch It!

Let’s be real - there’s a universal unspoken rule in tech (and life): If it works, don’t touch it.

It’s been passed down through generations of engineers, developers, and that one guy who still insists his Windows XP machine is running just fine. But what if I told you that’s exactly why you should touch it?
Yes, I know, the mere thought sends shivers down your spine. That printer you configured five years ago? You haven’t dared to check its settings since then. Your codebase is held together by duct tape and prayers? Best not to poke the bear, right?

The Case For Touching It

1. Understanding is Power – Do you know what’s scarier than breaking something? Not knowing why it works in the first place. If your system is functioning purely by chance, that’s a ticking time bomb.

2. Future Proofing – Just ‘cause it works now doesn’t mean it’ll work forever. Eventually, software updates, security patches, or cosmic karma will force you to intervene. You might as well get ahead of it before it implodes at the worst moment.

3. Avoiding the “Legacy” Trap – If no one dares to touch the working system, it becomes a cryptic artifact of the past. The moment you need to change something, you’ll then be unearthing ancient runes instead of reading clean documentation.

The Right Way to Touch It

I’m not saying you should barge into your codebase like a toddler with a screwdriver, no. Here’s how to touch things responsibly:

• Document Everything – Before making changes, take notes. Lots of them.
  Future you will thank Present you.

• Test, Test, and Test Again – Experiment in a safe environment before pushing anything to production.

• Small, Incremental Changes – Don’t rewrite everything overnight. Adjust, observe, and adapt.

The Takeaway

Yes, sometimes leaving things alone is wise, but blindly trusting that they will work forever is a dangerous gamble. So go ahead, poke it, prod it, understand it because the truth is, if it works and you know why, then you’re not just surviving - you’re thriving.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to update a server I’ve been avoiding for the past four days. Wish me luck.