Summary
Why does software suck? Is it just because most of anything sucks or is there something particular about software that enhances the suckage factor?

Scott Berkun's essay explores a perennial question: Why software sucks (And what to do about it). He brings up some interesting points so go read it.

Now that you've read Scott's essay, why do you think software sucks? Is software doomed to mostly suck just like everything else? Is it an inherent problem (ala the Anatomy of Insanity)? Is it because we just don't care enough as consumers, users, managers, developers, testers, etc.? Is it because we don't actually know how to build great software? Is it because we're building software using crappy methodologies, tools, languages, etc.? Is it because our notions of how things work are just plain off? Are we distracted by the shiny bits and miss the crustiness? Are we focused on the right problems to solve? Have we become addicted to mediocrity? Or what?

Where do we draw the line between "sucks" and "good enough"?

How do various asymmetries play out? For example, are we buying based on hope and then crying about reality (or whining about reality not living up to our expectations)? How does our warped sense of time come into play (e.g., where we grossly overestimate what we can do in the short term while horribly underestimating what we can do in the long term)? What about our hyperfocus on short-term returns while missing long term costs? Or the fact that we tend to only notice one or two direct consequences while missing/ignoring not only the unintended consequences but also all of the indirect implications?

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