How to Not Die by a Thousand Cuts. Or, How to Think About Software Quality

# Summary Software quality is fundamentally about executing processes with grace and leaving things better than you found them, making it essential to prevent "death by a thousand cuts"—slow, painful degradation. Unlike physical machines, software is infinitely malleable and must continuously evolve to serve a constantly changing world, as exemplified by tools like Emacs that have thrived for decades through constant iteration. The challenge for organizations is ensuring software products maintain quality and viability under relentless pressure for change, while determining who bears responsibility for quality assurance.