Has Everything Been Invented? On Software Development and the Future of Apps

Everything that can be invented has been invented." Although this infamous 1899 quote has been attributed to Charles H. Duell, then director of the US Patent Office, he actually never said such a silly thing. What Duell said to the US Congress was something quite different, that America's future success depends on invention (http://tinyurl.com/3pjas6u). This clearly remains the case today, not only for America but for most countries. Invention and innovation continue to prosper, not least in the software industry. The past decade has given us new tools and new ways of disseminating applications. As a consequence, we may fall into the trap of thinking that everything in software has been invented.