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The Netscape example is an extreme case since it was an entire system rewrite (still a valuable example). The other extreme of leaving the code to rot is just
by tkahnoski 16y ago
The Netscape example is an extreme case since it was an entire system rewrite (still a valuable example).
The other extreme of leaving the code to rot is just as bad. "It works... for now."
There are too many little changes that occur in either the larger system itself, the platform, or even the OS (and of course the customer) to just say "it works." This then leads to, "Well it should still work" as time goes on.
- kenjackson 16y agoIn my long history of development I've seen VERY few rewrites that were successful. I've seen probably tens that ended up wasting a lot of money and time and probably about two or three that proved to be worth it. I really think the problem is that most devs don't know how to read code. Sure there are some programs that have pathological problems in them, but those are relatively rare. It is often just design choices or programming patterns that a particular dev doesn't like or understand.
- tkahnoski 16y agoAgreed. Having a mostly functional system with an occasional bug is certainly better then a half implemented untested version. There does exist a point at which a rewrite is necessary and is indeed far less often than most would like to think.