Software rot

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Software rot (bit rot, code rot, software erosion, software decay, or software entropy) is the deterioration of software quality or performance over time that leads to it becoming faulty, unusable, or needing upgrade.

Since software cannot physically decay, the term is hyperbole. The process is due to either changes in the source code or to the environment in which the software operates.

The Jargon File, a compendium of hacker lore, defines "bit rot" as a jocular explanation for the degradation of a software program over time even if "nothing has changed"; the idea behind this is almost as if the bits that make up the program were subject to radioactive decay.^[1]