Why did software become worse lately?

I have a few theories why this happens: Are we all too distracted to do focused work? Does the industry focus too much on the newest trends rather than building things right the first time? Have easy coding tools led to devs who don't grasp the fundamentals?

Plus, what does the rise of AI mean for software quality? Could things get a LOT worse before they get better?

What are the worst examples of bad software that drive you crazy? Are there shining examples of exceptional quality that give you hope?

Although imperfect, Linux, Apple and Microsoft seem to stand out ahead as high quality OS frameworks. Amazon’s AWS is of general high quality in cloud as well. Google lately has been a counter-example.

In my world, some of the worst software I see is coming from the gaming industry and I see these as examples of what happens when you have too many cooks in the kitchen, no efficient way to communicate, and a lust for money. So what I think we’re seeing now is the result of a massive consolidation of talent onto increasingly complex products with a goal to squeeze in an ever increasing number of features to ultimately extract the maximum amount of money out of.

1. No culture of craftsmanship in software outside of niches such as native Mac software development. “Move fast and break things” was supposed to mean embracing iterative development practices and not being afraid to make changes when necessary, but this philosophy has been stripped of its original context, which has resulted in recklessness.

2. Unrealistic deadlines that favor slapdash, “get it out the door as fast as possible” solutions instead of taking the time to deliver quality software.

3. UI/UX designs that serve business priorities over users’ needs. Egregious examples include dark patterns and annoying ads. Less egregious examples include design for branding instead of design based on the platform’s UI guidelines. Unfortunately the Web lacks UI guidelines, and so each website has its own UI/UX.

4. What’s the incentive for quality? Market dynamics such as network effects and lock-in that prevent competition from gaining a foothold or even from existing in the first place. Why would a company improve its software if people are required to use that product and there are no alternatives? A lot of people, for example, complain about Microsoft Teams, but if their job requires it, they can’t use an alternative platform.

Some of my favorite customer-facing software includes The Omni Group’s Mac software such as OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner, ClarisWorks, the classic Mac OS (less for its underpinnings, which weren’t the most reliable, and more for its interface), Mac OS X (especially the Tiger, Leopard, and Snow Leopard era), and late 1990s and early 2000s Microsoft software (Windows 2000, Office 97 and 2000, Visual Studio 6, Visio).

What about examples, I always mad when my old devices stops being functional despite nothing has changed in electric circuits. Ati videocards have no free drivers, Blackberry devices can not render webpages due to https requirement out of thin air, some parts of Lenovo laptop do not fit to another one duo to lock in BIOS.

BTW look at modern laptops, they also became worse. I can not upgrade laptop CPU after 4th generation of Intel, also nowadays laptops just do not have a lot of ports and durable case.

> I have a few theories why this happens: Are we all too distracted to do focused work? Does the industry focus too much on the newest trends rather than building things right the first time? Have easy coding tools led to devs who don't grasp the fundamentals?

These questions do not touch me, try formulating once more.

Recreative drugs are great nowadays, there are new stimulators on the market and new ways to consume such as battery-powered pen-shaped little something.