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Software Entropy

Another key benefit of building or improving software gradually is that it counteracts software entropy. As with physical entropy, software entropy (often referred to as software rot) refers to the amount of disorder present in a system. How does software entropy creep into a system? Entropy's favorite pathway into a project is by means of minor flaws that are never addressed. It starts with a kludge that you allow into the code to meet some arbitrary deadline. Next, you find yourself cornered into hacking together a solution to a related problem because you “kludged” the earlier code. Next, you discover that you can't build a new module as you'd like because the hack you were forced into yesterday prevents it. Entropy is contagious, ...