I’m curious how software can be created and evolve over time. I’m afraid that at some point, we’ll realize there are issues with the software we’re using that can only be remedied by massive changes or a complete rewrite.

Are there any instances of this happening? Where something is designed with a flaw that doesn’t get realized until much later, necessitating scrapping the whole thing and starting from scratch?

  • limelight79@lemm.ee
    35·
    3 months ago

    We haven’t rewritten the firewall code lately, right? checks Oh, it looks like we have. Now it’s nftables.

    I learned ipfirewall, then ipchains, then iptables came along, and I was like, oh hell no, not again. At that point I found software to set up the firewall for me.

    • catloaf@lemm.eeEnglish
      121·
      3 months ago

      Damn, you’re old. iptables came out in 1998. That’s what I learned in (and I still don’t fully understand it).

    • XTL
      7·
      3 months ago

      I was just thinking that iptables lasted a good 20 years. Over twice that of ipchains. Was it good enough or did it just have too much inertia?

      Nf is probably a welcome improvement in any case.