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The reason is entropy Breakages in this context are not related to entropy. They are hidden errors that are not detected until long after the system is deploye
by wglb 10y ago
The reason is entropy
Breakages in this context are not related to entropy. They are hidden errors that are not detected until long after the system is deployed. For example, the BEAST attack exploited a flaw that was first identified 10 years earlier. Similarly, errors such as padding oracle attacks on badly written encryption code don't decay--they are broken from the beginning and turns out to require exceptional insight to detect.
This is a misapplication of the idea of entropy or decay to real-world software problems.
- lutusp 10y ago> This is a misapplication of the idea of entropy or decay to real-world software problems. For a mathematical equation, or for a computer program that's written and then never touched again, obviously true -- after all, these things aren't part of physics, how could entropy play a role? But for a computer program or language that's subject to perpetual revision to meet new needs, entropy's role is self-evident. Microsoft Windows is a classic example -- there are parts of Windows that cry out to be removed and replaced, like the presence of drive letters to name just one, except for the requirements of legacy compatibility. For a sufficiently long-lived program or language, one that's subjected to major revisions over time, something very much like entropy is present and obvious. And the closer to everyday reality the software is, the more subject to user demands and changes, to that same degree the software's history exhibits something like entropy -- until finally the software's maintainers decide to just abandon the effort and start over. Just as with actual physical systems.