That doesn't sound like an 'or' to me. That sounds like a 'why'.
A rewrite also means no new features for a very long time. And my very cynical view is that people asking for a rewrite are motivated by the peace and quiet that happens during the first six months of the rewrite. In a world where people leave after 3 years and get a pass for their first few months that represents a pretty large fraction of their tenure.
But it's a bit like rehab. You've decided to start over with a new set of habits and hope it sticks. But like rehab or new year's resolutions, the relapse rate is high.
My current take is that there is a paradox here. The teams that deserve a rewrite usually don't need a rewrite. There's a high degree of overlap between being capable of fixing your broken crap properly and being able to refactor to a better system.
The only rewrites I've seen work look like the Ship of Theseus. As far as management is concerned it's not a new system. But the old developers can barely recognize the code.
A rewrite also means no new features for a very long time. And my very cynical view is that people asking for a rewrite are motivated by the peace and quiet that happens during the first six months of the rewrite. In a world where people leave after 3 years and get a pass for their first few months that represents a pretty large fraction of their tenure.
But it's a bit like rehab. You've decided to start over with a new set of habits and hope it sticks. But like rehab or new year's resolutions, the relapse rate is high.
My current take is that there is a paradox here. The teams that deserve a rewrite usually don't need a rewrite. There's a high degree of overlap between being capable of fixing your broken crap properly and being able to refactor to a better system.
The only rewrites I've seen work look like the Ship of Theseus. As far as management is concerned it's not a new system. But the old developers can barely recognize the code.