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> What happens if the project is abandoned after you chose to rely on it? If the project already had the features you need, was thoroughly tested and debugged,

> What happens if the project is abandoned after you chose to rely on it? If the project already had the features you need, was thoroughly tested and debugged, and was built with almost no dependencies (only relying on a small number of very stable platform APIs), then it might not matter even if it was already abandoned when you started using it. Case in point: On a recent software project, I took dependencies on two Lua libraries which were already abandoned. Their source code was short and readable enough that I had no problem going through it to understand how they worked. In one case, I added an important feature (support for a different type of PostgreSQL authentication to a Postgres client library). I also packaged both libraries for my Linux distro of choice and submitted them to the official package repositories. If anyone reports bugs against the version which I packaged, I'll fix them, but it seems unlikely that many bugs will ever be found. As the OP rightly pointed out, the expectation that software libraries should normally need to be constantly updated is ridiculous. Many other things invented by humans stay in use for decades with no alterations. Beethoven's 5th symphony hasn't had any updates in more than 200 years.

duckmysick 4y ago
> Many other things invented by humans stay in use for decades with no alterations. Beethoven's 5th symphony hasn't had any updates in more than 200 years. I don't understand this argument. Are you saying that some things don't require updates, therefore we shouldn't expect software libraries to be updated as well? But there are also things that do require updates or maintenance. Would that invalidate the argument? Some examples of things that need updates or maintenance: buildings, infrastructure, tools, machinery. Even immaterial things like books or laws receive updates. And that includes the 5th Symphony too, which has different editions.
- alexdowad 4y ago
  Re-reading the comment as a whole might help to correct this "strawman" interpretation, but anyways, here is some clarification: In today's world of software development, many take it as given that every software library should receive periodic updates, and that a library which has not been recently updated is in some sense "dead" and should not be used. This is logical in cases where the domain is itself constantly changing. For example, software packages which calculate the results of income tax returns must be updated yearly, because the tax laws change. Similarly, packages which perform time zone calculations must be periodically updated, because the time zone rules change. However, a vast number of software libraries operate in domains which are not inherently subject to change. As an arbitrary example, imagine a hypothetical library which performs symbolic differentiation and integration. Since the rules for how to integrate a function do not change, once thoroughly tested and debugged, there is no reason why such a library could not be used unaltered for decades. Yes, it might not benefit from the development of more efficient algorithms; but if the library was already more than fast enough for a certain application, that might not matter. While software is different from other things created by humans, the existence of creative works such as books or musical compositions, which often survive for decades or centuries despite not receiving regular updates, provides an illustration of what can and should be possible for software as well. Note, this is an illustration and not an argument.
jtbayly 4y ago
> Beethoven's 5th symphony hasn't had any updates in more than 200 years. What a shame it’s been abandoned and no other musician stepped up to take over the work.

duckmysick 4y ago

> Many other things invented by humans stay in use for decades with no alterations. Beethoven's 5th symphony hasn't had any updates in more than 200 years. I don't understand this argument. Are you saying that some things don't require updates, therefore we shouldn't expect software libraries to be updated as well? But there are also things that do require updates or maintenance. Would that invalidate the argument? Some examples of things that need updates or maintenance: buildings, infrastructure, tools, machinery. Even immaterial things like books or laws receive updates. And that includes the 5th Symphony too, which has different editions.

alexdowad 4y ago
Re-reading the comment as a whole might help to correct this "strawman" interpretation, but anyways, here is some clarification: In today's world of software development, many take it as given that every software library should receive periodic updates, and that a library which has not been recently updated is in some sense "dead" and should not be used. This is logical in cases where the domain is itself constantly changing. For example, software packages which calculate the results of income tax returns must be updated yearly, because the tax laws change. Similarly, packages which perform time zone calculations must be periodically updated, because the time zone rules change. However, a vast number of software libraries operate in domains which are not inherently subject to change. As an arbitrary example, imagine a hypothetical library which performs symbolic differentiation and integration. Since the rules for how to integrate a function do not change, once thoroughly tested and debugged, there is no reason why such a library could not be used unaltered for decades. Yes, it might not benefit from the development of more efficient algorithms; but if the library was already more than fast enough for a certain application, that might not matter. While software is different from other things created by humans, the existence of creative works such as books or musical compositions, which often survive for decades or centuries despite not receiving regular updates, provides an illustration of what can and should be possible for software as well. Note, this is an illustration and not an argument.

jtbayly 4y ago

> Beethoven's 5th symphony hasn't had any updates in more than 200 years. What a shame it’s been abandoned and no other musician stepped up to take over the work.