# 20 Year Software: Engineering and Updates

DevFeed: [20 Year Software: Engineering and Updates](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/20-year-software-engineering-and-updates-36639.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://shostack.org/blog/20-year-software-engineering-and-updates/>)

Author: Adam

Published: 2017-10-23T00:00:00Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Shostack & Friends Blog](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/shostack-friends-blog.md>)

Topics: [Software Engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/software-engineering.md>), [Development](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/development.md>), [Network](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/network.md>), [Bluetooth](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/bluetooth.md>), [zigbee](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/zigbee.md>), [Windows](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/windows.md>), [Operating system](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/operating-system.md>)

Tags: [bluetooth](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/bluetooth.md>), [connectivity](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/connectivity.md>), [devices](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/devices.md>), [distributed](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/distributed.md>), [engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/engineering.md>), [hardware](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/hardware.md>), [internet](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/internet.md>), [ipv6](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/ipv6.md>), [product](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/product.md>), [property](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/property.md>), [software](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software.md>), [software-engineering](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/software-engineering.md>), [updates](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/updates.md>), [vulnerabilities](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/vulnerabilities.md>)

## AI overview

This opinion examines the engineering and economic challenges of maintaining software for devices intended to last twenty years. It uses connected household devices, Sonos's privacy-policy update, software vulnerabilities, and Office 2011 as examples of the uncertainty and cost involved in long-term software support.

## Source excerpt

[no description provided]