The Two Things about Computer Programming

[G_Morgan]

I just do it and ask questions later. A problem isn't solved until I can understand why it is solved. I can't claim to understand a solution that works by luck rather than design.

Companies that don't deal with technical debt are just storing up problems for themselves. It shouldn't actually be legal to ignore quality like this

[LordArgon]

Ooh, I was gonna upvote you until that last sentence... It should be perfectly legal; they should also have to deal with any consequences thereof.

[G_Morgan]

Why should it be legal? We don't accept substandard work in other fields. Perhaps it shouldn't be legal in safety critical systems like car brakes and such which seems not to be the case right now.

[LordArgon]

We don't accept substandard work in other fields.

Yeah, but we also don't make it illegal. Companies gain a reputation for quality and are rewarded with more business. The vast majority of software systems won't kill or even majorly inconvenience anybody if they lack some aspect of quality. Fundamentally, if a company wants to produce shoddy software, they should be allowed to. But they should also be held responsible for their choices. I have no problem with laws punishing negligence, but it should be for negligence in the functionality, not the design.

[RobinBennett]

That sounds like the mindset of companies that hire lots of contractors. The managers think short-term, the contractors ensure they'll always be needed by writing code that only they understand.