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OpinionAI Engineering & DevTools

Software Rewrites Can Be Efficient and Beneficial

@trq212· July 8, 2026 View original

▶ The 2-minute explainer

Key takeaways

  • Software rewrites can be efficient and cost-effective.
  • Improved testing and verification tools reduce rewrite risks.
  • Re-evaluate traditional views on technical debt and refactoring.
  • Strategic rewrites can drive innovation and performance.

Who benefits

Software DevelopmentTechnologyFintechGaming

Summary

The post challenges the conventional wisdom that software rewrites are always costly and slow, suggesting they can be good, cheap, and fast, especially as testing and verification models improve.

The author proposes a significant re-evaluation of the role of software rewrites in engineering, arguing that they can be efficient and cost-effective rather than inherently expensive and time-consuming. This perspective is particularly relevant as advancements in testing and verification tools, exemplified by projects like Bun, make it easier to ensure the quality and correctness of new implementations. The implication is that as these tools evolve, the perceived risks and costs associated with rewriting software will diminish, making it a more viable strategy for improvement.

Why it matters

This challenges a long-held belief in software development, potentially opening new strategies for technical debt management, performance improvement, and innovation by making rewrites a more accessible and less daunting option.

How to implement this in your domain

  1. 1Re-evaluate your organization's stance on software rewrites, considering modern tooling.
  2. 2Investigate advanced testing and verification frameworks to reduce rewrite risks.
  3. 3Pilot a small, well-defined rewrite project to gather internal data on efficiency.
  4. 4Develop clear criteria for when a rewrite is a superior option to incremental refactoring.

Original post by @trq212

"this should be a huge update in your model of software engineering: rewrites can be good, cheap and fast of course most apps are not as testable and verifiable as Bun, but the models will continue to get better at filling those gaps"

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