MU: The Maintenance/Use Index

Some things you spend more time maintaining than using.

A bunch of folks bent over an old car. Hours spent tinkering with the engine, the detail, the interior. It’s an act of love, that maintenance — but it is not the best car for getting you around town.

How about a simple ratio of the time spent maintaining (figuring out, repairing, extending, etc) something vs the time spent using it?

MU = maintenance-time/use-time, if you like formulas.

The Test: Is it a tool (low MU) or a hobby (high MU)?

For example:

Google docs has a very low MU, a very low ratio of maintenance to application — mostly you just use it.

Linux can drive you nuts, looking up how to install an app. There are lots of features — but they have obscure names and un-obvious ways to use them. Linux has a very high MU.

Do some cases occur to you, in your work? Your relationships?