3 ms·

So you would say "Startup Suicide -- Don't rewrite your code too late"

• jacquesm 16y ago
  Even 'later' there can be valid reasons to rewrite. I don't like blanket statements on complicated issues, the real answer here is 'it depends', and it depends on a lot of factors. There are good rewrites and there are bad ones, and it's not always clear-cut what the best decision is. If it isn't broken don't fix it seems to be a good rule, it makes you err on the side of caution. The fact is the plenty of times rewriting is not the answer, but for instance, refactoring consistently and aggressively over a longer period of time can have just the same effect without most of the downsides. An all-or-nothing hail Mary rewrite where some poor sob has to turn the switch on D day is typically a recipe for failure but that's not the only option on the menu.