Software rots at a speed proportional to rate of change of other systems it's dependent on.

· Bits and Bobs 4/21/25
  • Software rots at a speed proportional to rate of change of other systems it's dependent on.
    • No software is an island; it relies on an underlying platform or surrounding dependencies.
    • There are two ways to make software resistant to rotting.
    • The first is shelf-stable software.
      • Software that doesn't rot because it has been pasteurized and has stabilizers added.
      • To be concrete, things like full copies of its dependencies checked in, using Lindy platforms and systems.
      • This used to be the only way to do it.
    • The second is living software.
      • Software that knows what it's supposed to do and can adapt and maintain itself to continue working.
      • This is only possible now with LLMs.

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