<p>So it seems Microsoft has decided to move from updating Microsoft Office every two to three years, to a whirlwind upgrade cycle measurable in weeks. This should result in some incredible hilarity as weirdness ensues.</p><p>The problem with Microsoft code is that it has mostly deteriorated to what people like to call spaghetti code, a patchwork quilt of subroutines. This means millions of lines of code with no overseer.</p><p>In the golden days of coding there was one person who literally knew and understood all the code. This person could say no to code coming in, knowing that it would introduce complications and ruin things. Many open source projects still have overseers but Microsoft has either fired or promoted these people away, replacing them with managers looking for a way out.</p><p>Since there are many talented programmers at Microsoft, much of the spaghetti code is simply bypassed, leaving behind zombie code in most of its products. This would often be undocumented semi-dead code. You cannot just erase it because there may be some untraceable and obscure subroutine, one that's referred to rarely, but if it is not there the system could crash. Many of the screwball crashes you experience with Microsoft software stem from this sort of situation.</p><p><a href="http://www.itproportal.com/2013/04/25/microsoft-offices-faster-upgrade-cycle-will-mean-more-bugs/">Keep reading...</a></p>