Why does software spoil? 18 Oct 2007

Jeff Atwood posted three great software development laws yesterday:

1. Letts' Law: All programs evolve until they can send email.
2. Zawinski's Law: Every program attempts to expand until it can read mail.
3. Furrygoat's Law: Every program attempts to expand until it can read RSS feeds.

Atwood uses these laws to illustrate the way that feature creep almost inevitably ends up ruining every software package:

"It's depressing to me that there are very few apps I can stick with for more than five years before they become an untenable, unbearable mess. I can think of so many that I've liked and since discarded: Nero Burning ROM, WinAmp, ACDSee, Microsoft Money, WinZip, and many others.

"I suppose features sell software. For many companies, putting users on the version upgrade treadmill is their business model; it's how they generate revenue. But if this fiscally rewarding feature creep goes on long enough, spoilage inevitably sets in. So I wonder: Is all software destined to spoil over time? Is it possible for software packages with long histories to avoid the trap of becoming bloated and irrelevant?"

These are questions that Apple might like to think about.