Software Quality Crisis: How the Tech Industry Normalized Catastrophic Bugs
By
redbell
Baker's choice. Dense with flavour, light on filler.
Summary
The article discusses the normalization of software quality issues, using the example of Apple's Calculator app leaking 32GB of RAM as a symptom of broader industry problems. The author argues that software quality has been declining for years, with catastrophic bugs now being treated as routine rather than emergencies. The piece examines how the tech industry has accepted poor software quality as normal, with AI systems now amplifying existing incompetence rather than creating new problems.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledThe Apple Calculator leaked 32GB of RAM. Not used. Not allocated. Leaked. A basic calculator app is hemorrhaging more memory than most computers had a decade ago.
Twenty years ago, this would have triggered emergency patches and post-mortems. Today, it's just another bug report in the queue.
We've normalized software catastrophes to the point where a Calculator leaking 32GB of RAM barely makes the news.
This isn't about AI. The quality crisis started years before ChatGPT existed. AI just weaponized existing incompetence.
I've been tracking software quality metrics for three years. The degradation is systematic and accelerating.
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