Dan Bricklin (one of the inventors of the first PC spreadsheet, Visicalc) has written a very interesting essay entitled “Software That Lasts 200 Years.” He argues that we should take the same approach to software as we do to public infrastructure: Openness, standards, inspection, public inquiries to learn from failures – and not relying on volunteerism alone.
Dan’s writings page is a pleasure to peruse – for instance, he wrote an essay on the future of the music industry in 2002 ago which shaped much of my thinking on the subject – especially the notion that record sales may be down less for downloading than because youngsters were spending their disposable funds on mobile phone services. Enjoy.