Detecting Shoved Code

I’m constantly amazed at how biological code seems. It grows and it sprawls. It becomes easier to patch than change deeply. I have this theory that any system the where the cost of changing old structure is high has a strong biological feel. Code, in the worst cases, is like a decaying city. It's easy to add a new sign or a clean up a single storefront but hard to replace the sewer or the streets.

The fact of the matter is that the industry has to start taking refactoring much more serious...