Some of greatest Easter Eggs came from Microsoft's software stable. Word 97 used to have a great little pinball game built in if you followed correct steps, while Excel 97 had a fun little 'flight simulator' built in. Unfortunately employees are apparently no longer allowed to include these after some offensive messages were once included in a program.

Companies now require a very professional image and software costs quite a lot to develop, so we're likely to see all amusing quirks removed from software that's released making it nothing but functional. I think that this is unfortunate. I agree that error messages need to be functional and let user know what's gone wrong but there's no harm in taking edge off fact that they've possibly just lost a few hour's work by adding a little humor into picture. As long as common sense is adhered to I don't really see why my grey pop up boxes all need to say exactly same thing and be filled with data that's largely useless to me. Thank you, I realize that program has encountered an error. I assumed this when it stopped working. Why not give me a reason to actually read error messages instead of having to dismiss them as soon as they appear?

I think idea of user friendliness has become too clinical and precise. We have rules and structures defining what is or isn't helpful. We put fancy, bubbly skins on dull and mundane and think that we're making it all more interesting. Just occasionally I'd like my computer to pop up and say "Human Error. Please replace user and try again."

Daniel Punch M6.Net Web Helpers http://www.m6.net

So how do you secure all benefits of this outsourcing wave without getting dragged into undertow? The key is strategic, selective outsourcing. According to Corey Ferengul, VP of IT research firm META Group, an increasing number of companies are choosing to outsource non-core IT tasks. Common responsibilities going to third-party providers include Web hosting, call centers, data storage, and database administration.

"There's a learning curve and a life cycle to outsourcing," said Caldwell, "and it can be expensive finding right vendor, as well as going through transitions of taking your operations to that vendor." Stable, yet customizable IT functions provide an excellent training ground for outsourcing. Any function with known benchmarks for performance and results, as well as available, reliable outsourcing partners is a good place to start.

Ultimately you may want to outsource your entire IT department, but first you need to get a handle on managing an outsourced process. Some companies may discover they don't need to incur risks and organizational chaos of switching to total IT outsourcing. By nimbly carving out and outsourcing small pieces of IT function that deliver most cost and quality benefit, companies may find they are already receiving maximum savings at minimal risk. However, they will have done some carefully planned and executed experimentation before making that decision.

Gertrude Ederle once said of sea "I never feel alone when I'm out there." The channel became her ally as she swam her way to England in record time. By starting on a small, strategic scale, you'll turn IT outsourcing into your ally rather than a cold, tumultuous, foreboding sea.