If it's not you copy & modify a snippet from StackOverflow, or call a library. It's not strictly correct that most software is open-ended research. Most econo

If it's not you copy & modify a snippet from StackOverflow, or call a library. It's not strictly correct that most software is open-ended research. Most economically valuable software is open-ended research, because otherwise a solution already exists and you don't need to pay a software developer to write it. Software is a somewhat unique industry in having zero cost of replication. The only other industry like this is creative & artistic pursuits (writing, artwork, music, film, etc.). That industry is also notoriously difficult to estimate and tends to be an area where the the greatest works of art are done when they're done. (How long have people been waiting for George R. R. Martin to finish A Song of Ice and Fire?)