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Debt Metaphor

Ward Cunningham · 95K views · 2009-02-15 · 4:44

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Overview

Ward Cunningham explains the history and intent of the debt metaphor, which he coined while refactoring the WyCash product. He says debt means code reflecting an incomplete understanding of the problem, not sloppy programming.

On Hacker News

HN links it as the authoritative correction to common misuse of the term technical debt, straight from its originator.

Recommended by 3 HN people across 4 months · HN mentions 2009–2023

Topics

Software architecture & designSoftware practice, open source & careers
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What people said

philbo · 2016-01 · Strong recommendation

For the best description of technical debt, you can't do better than listen to the man who first coined the term. Ward Cunningham explains: [VIDEO]

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cratermoon · 2023-02 · Recommendation

While we're at it, let's talk about what Technical Debt really means. A mess is not technical debt. Ward Cunningham explains Debt Metaphor [VIDEO] transcript at [LINK]

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cratermoon · 2021-06 · Recommendation

It's kind of a pet peeve of mine around technical debt. Some programmers and places I've worked get it wrong, so I refer people to Ward Cunningham's explanation: [VIDEO]

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Sources

Video by Ward Cunningham, played through YouTube.

Data and selection notes

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