Comment by yxhuvud
12 hours ago
I rather think of the maintenance nightmare. You can't change anything - not cause the existing system is good but because there are no people left that understand the whole thing.
But then I've got a few years to reach 50. Perhaps my views will change.
The gear cutting machines almost never had mechanical failures. As long as they keep them lubricated, and occasionally muck out the sumps, the machines should still be going in the year 2100.
The other thing about gear cutting is that hobs only cut one size/profile of tooth. Some of the cutting tools I was using dated from before WW1, for odd sizes that didn't get used much.
Every software company I've worked at that is more than 5 years old had major features that nobody understood anymore, even features that were core to the product.
This happens in tech as well. It's called COBOL and it refuses to go away, despite lots of people's best efforts.