--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Writing and repairing software generally…" description: "\"“Writing and repairing software generally takes far more time and is far more expensive than initially anticipated. “Every feature that is added and ev..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/thomas-homer-dixon-31705_programming_writing-and-repairing-software-generally_1545555.jpg" --- # Writing and repairing software generally takes far more… ![“Writing and repairing software generally takes far more time and is far more expensive than initially anticipated. “Every feature that is added and every bug that is fixed,” Edward Tenner points out, “adds the possibility of some new and unexpected interaction between parts of the program.”19 De…” quote by Thomas Homer-Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/thomas-homer-dixon-31705_programming_writing-and-repairing-software-generally_1545555.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/thomas-homer-dixon-31705_programming_writing-and-repairing-software-generally_1545555.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/thomas-homer-dixon-31705_programming_writing-and-repairing-software-generally_1545555.jpg) > ““Writing and repairing software generally takes far more time and is far more expensive than initially anticipated. “Every feature that is added and every bug that is fixed,” Edward Tenner points out, “adds the possibility of some new and unexpected interaction between parts of the program.”19 De Jager concurs: “If people have learned anything about large software projects, it is that many of them miss their deadlines, and those that are on time seldom work perfectly. … Indeed, on-time error-free installations of complex computer systems are rare.”20 Even small changes to code can require wholesale retesting of entire software systems. While at MIT in the 1980s, I helped develop some moderately complex software. I learned then that the biggest problems arise from bugs that creep into programs during early stages of design. They become deeply embedded in the software’s interdependent network of logic, and if left unfixed can have cascading repercussions throughout the software. But fixing them often requires tracing out consequences that have metastasized in every direction from the original error. As the amount of computer code in our world soars (doubling every two years in consumer products alone), we need practical ways to minimize the number of bugs. But software development is still at a preindustrial stage—it remains more craft than engineering. Programmers resemble artisans: they handcraft computer code out of basic programming languages using logic, intuition, and pattern-recognition skills honed over years of experience.”” [Thomas Homer-Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-homer-dixon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Software development is fragile; small changes can cause widespread, unpredictable problems, making it costly and hard to guarantee reliability. **In simple terms:** Software bugs spread quickly and are expensive to fix. Key Takeaway Invest in early testing and modular design. Themes technology software complexity risk Mood analytical pragmatic Type technical professional When to use this quote - project management - quality assurance - team training - tool selection Key Concepts software engineering systems thinking technical debt Questions to Reflect On - How can teams reduce hidden interdependencies? - What trade‑offs are acceptable for speed? A Different Perspective Perfect error‑free software may be unattainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [C Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/c-programming/) [Complex Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complex-software-1920315/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Programming languages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming-languages/) [Repairing Software](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repairing-software-5765803/) [Small changes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-changes/) [Software development](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software-development/) [Software Fixing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software-fixing-5765802/) [Software Learned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/software-learned-5765804/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Two years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-years/) [Writing Repairing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-repairing-5765805/) [Years of experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-of-experience/) ## Related quotes > [The only way to write complex software that won't fall on its face is to hold its global complexity down - to build it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/the-only-way-to-write-complex-software-that-won-t-fall-on-its-face-is/) [Eric S. 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While at MIT in the 1980s, I helped develop some moderately complex software. I learned then that the biggest problems arise from bugs that creep into programs during early stages of design. They become deeply embedded in the software’s interdependent network of logic, and if left unfixed can have cascading repercussions throughout the software. But fixing them often requires tracing out consequences that have metastasized in every direction from the original error. As the amount of computer code in our world soars (doubling every two years in consumer products alone), we need practical ways to minimize the number of bugs. But software development is still at a preindustrial stage—it remains more craft than engineering. Programmers resemble artisans: they handcraft computer code out of basic programming languages using logic, intuition, and pattern-recognition skills honed over years of experience.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Homer-Dixon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-homer-dixon/writing-and-repairing-software-generally-takes-far-more-time-and-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Programming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-homer-dixon/writing-and-repairing-software-generally-takes-far-more-time-and-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/thomas-homer-dixon-31705_programming_writing-and-repairing-software-generally_1545555.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/thomas-homer-dixon-31705_programming_writing-and-repairing-software-generally_1545555.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fe/thomas-homer-dixon-31705_programming_writing-and-repairing-software-generally_1545555.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Writing and repairing software generally takes far more time and is far more expensive than initially…” — Thomas Homer-Dixon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Thomas Homer-Dixon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-homer-dixon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Writing and repairing software generally takes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-homer-dixon/writing-and-repairing-software-generally-takes-far-more-time-and-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-homer-dixon/writing-and-repairing-software-generally-takes-far-more-time-and-is/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```