Geriatric systems: the need for reverse engineering

Much of the existing business application software in the world today was written in the late 1960s and early 1970s during the computer industry's explosive growth period. Now 25 to 35 years old, much of this software has exceeded its life expectancy; it is a "legacy" from the past. There are similarities in the problem of aging in humans and the problem of aging software. This paper examines the software aging process, draws some comparisons from the field of gerontology and discusses the need for reverse engineering methodologies to cope with geriatric software. Research related to reverse engineering and the availability of tools to support reverse engineering are also discussed.