All time Quote by Capers Jones
![“Perhaps the worst software technology of all time was the use of physical lines of code [for metrics]. Continued use of this approach, in the author's opinion, should be considered professional malpractice.” quote by Capers Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/capers-jones-59652_all-time_perhaps-the-worst-software-technology-of_712105.jpg)
“Perhaps the worst software technology of all time was the use of physical lines of code [for metrics]. Continued use of this approach, in the author's opinion, should be considered professional malpractice.”
About This Quote
Source Article: Software Metrics and Measurement, Capers Jones, 1995
Relying on raw line counts for software quality is misleading and unprofessional.
In simple terms: Line counts are a poor metric.
Key Takeaway
Avoid line‑count metrics.
Themes
software quality
metrics
professionalism
Mood
critical
analytical
Type
cautionary
technical
When to use this quote
- code review
- project estimation
- risk assessment
- team performance
Key Concepts
measurement
misleading statistics
Questions to Reflect On
- What alternative metrics better reflect quality?
- How can teams ensure metrics are meaningful?
A Different Perspective
Line counts ignore complexity and context.
![“The use of lines of code metrics for productivity and quality studies [is] to be regarded as professional malpractice starting in 1995.” quote by Capers Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c8d/capers-jones-59652_code_the-use-of-lines-of-code-metrics-for-pro_1910995.jpg)
![“I don't know whether we think in moving images or whether we think in still images. I have a suspicion that on our hard drive, our series within our brains, [exist] still photographs of very important moments in our lives. ... That we think in terms of still images and that what the photography is…” quote by Jon Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/598/jon-snow-40883_all-time_i-don-t-know-whether-we-think-in-moving_15093.jpg)
