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The idea that software doesn't need maintenance (for any reasonable definition of maintenance) is ludicrous. When a new vulnerability is found, fixing it is mai

by larsrc 4y ago

The idea that software doesn't need maintenance (for any reasonable definition of maintenance) is ludicrous. When a new vulnerability is found, fixing it is maintenance. When the cloud providers change their setup in a way that requires updates, that's maintenance. When user growth causes scaling issues, fixing those is maintenance. When users move to a new platform that needs support, it's maintenance. Claiming that such changes are new features is marketing bullshit. From the end-user's point of view, none of those add new features, they just keep it working the way they're used to.

throwaheyy 4y ago
If there’s one silver lining from the Great Southwest Airlines Meltdown of 2022, it’s that software engineers will have a good and memorable concrete example to point to, when non-technical management or users question whether software/IT process maintenance is “really” necessary.
the_af 4y ago
> The idea that software doesn't need maintenance (for any reasonable definition of maintenance) is ludicrous. Fortunately this idea is not mentioned anywhere in the article.
- larsrc 4y ago
  Just in the title.
N_A_T_E 4y ago
I agree in principle however I have knowledge of software installed on computers in warehouses that haven’t been touched in 15+ years and get daily industrial use. Yes these machines are not internet connected and run ancient operating systems. Obviously web based applications have a comparatively massive maintenance burden however not all software uses that model.
- yencabulator 4y ago
  That sounds more like technical debt without a payment plan. Imagine that all of those physical machines stop working tomorrow -- let's call it the fictitious but notorious y2.023k bug. Imagine the software won't install or run on the a current day computer+operating system. Imagine you cannot install the old version of the operating system on new hardware (missing drivers / the operating system vendor pulls an Apple and explicitly prevents that / it's against the ToS and you'll get sued / your license has expired / etc). Now what?

by larsrc 4y ago

throwaheyy 4y ago

If there’s one silver lining from the Great Southwest Airlines Meltdown of 2022, it’s that software engineers will have a good and memorable concrete example to point to, when non-technical management or users question whether software/IT process maintenance is “really” necessary.

the_af 4y ago

> The idea that software doesn't need maintenance (for any reasonable definition of maintenance) is ludicrous. Fortunately this idea is not mentioned anywhere in the article.

larsrc 4y ago
Just in the title.

N_A_T_E 4y ago

I agree in principle however I have knowledge of software installed on computers in warehouses that haven’t been touched in 15+ years and get daily industrial use. Yes these machines are not internet connected and run ancient operating systems. Obviously web based applications have a comparatively massive maintenance burden however not all software uses that model.

yencabulator 4y ago
That sounds more like technical debt without a payment plan. Imagine that all of those physical machines stop working tomorrow -- let's call it the fictitious but notorious y2.023k bug. Imagine the software won't install or run on the a current day computer+operating system. Imagine you cannot install the old version of the operating system on new hardware (missing drivers / the operating system vendor pulls an Apple and explicitly prevents that / it's against the ToS and you'll get sued / your license has expired / etc). Now what?