In the Aggregate: How Will We Maintain Legacy Systems?
- by Jim G.
NEW YORK - With a blast that made
skyscrapers tremble, an 83-year-old
steam pipe sent a powerful message
that the miles of tubes, wires and
iron beneath New York and other U.S.
cities are getting older and could
become dangerously unstable.
July 2007 Story About a Burst Steam Pipe in Manhattan
We've heard about software rot and technical debt.
And we've heard from the likes of:
"Uncle Bob" Martin - Who warned us about "the consequences of making a mess".
Michael C. Feathers - Who gave us guidance for 'Working Effectively With Legacy Code'.
So certainly the software engineering community is aware of these issues.
But I feel like our aggregate society does not appreciate how these issues can plague working systems and applications.
As Steve McConnell notes:
...Unlike financial debt, technical
debt is much less visible, and so
people have an easier time ignoring
it.
If this is true, and I believe that it is, then I fear that governments and businesses may defer regular maintenance and fortification against hackers until it is too late. [Much like NYC and the steam pipes.]
My Question:
Do you share my concern?
And if so,
is there a way that we can avoid the
software equivalent of NYC and the steam pipes?
