> Why do I see code that looks like the equivalent of a BMW on the outside - but under the hood looks like spit and duct-tape powered by a hamster?

Because from the user's view, if they get the BMW, they're happy. When it comes to software, users don't care what's under the hood. Furthermore, most don't have the ability to know if it's held together with duct tape or nuts and bolts. The person implementing the code generally is overloaded and behind schedule and just needs to get it done and move on to the next thing.

I've been talking about this in conference presentations for years. I talk about technical debt and how it's killing companies, but management doesn't know it's there. Then I give solutions to fix it. Look up my Linked-In profile and watch the video on Software Gardening.

FYI, I've expanded the Technical Debt section a bit recently and am thinking about doing an all technical debt session next year. It would discuss methods to measure technical debt so you know what to fix first.

FYI2. I have a new Software Gardening column starting with the November issue of .Net Curry magazine (subscribe for free at http://www.dotnetcurry.com/)