Max Kanat-Alexander argues that code qualityCode quality describes how well software code meets relevant needs for correctness, clarity, maintainability and safe change in its intended context. helps developers understand how software behaves and change it safely. He discusses why those benefits matter differently for durable systems and genuinely disposable programs.
He proposes considering failure consequences, replacement cost, dependencies and maintenanceRisk assessment identifies potential harmful outcomes and examines their likelihood, impact and uncertainty in a specified context. It provides evidence for deciding how a system should be managed. when deciding how much rigor a system needs. Isolation, restricted dependencies and fallback systems can make some software easier to discard.
He describes standardization, automated checksDeterministic software verification checks an output with a repeatable procedure that produces the same result for the same inputs and state., shared testing infrastructure and early linting as ways to make engineering rigor less expensive. His expectations about how AI will change the balance of durable and disposable software are presented as predictions.
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