What's in a Codebase?
The article discusses the evolving perspective on rewriting codebases in the context of modern coding agents. It highlights the historical reluctance to rewrite code from scratch and contrasts it with the current capabilities of coding agents that can facilitate such rewrites. The author explores the implications of this shift, including the potential loss of detail and the need for comprehensive specifications to guide the process.
- ▪Historically, rewriting a codebase was considered a major strategic mistake for software companies.
- ▪Modern coding agents have changed the cost dynamics of writing code, making frequent rewrites feasible.
- ▪The effectiveness of coding agents relies on a deep understanding of programming patterns and techniques.
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What's in a codebase? 2026-03-23 Tagged: llms, strategy, software engineering Does it ever make sense to rewrite your codebase from scratch? For decades, the answer had been an unambiguous no, ever since Joel Spolsky argued that rewrites were the “single worst strategic mistake that any software company can make”. In the era of coding agents, the cost of writing code has dramatically shifted, making it possible to rewrite your codebase from scratch, every week, if you really wanted to. But “possible” and “makes sense” are not the same. In this essay I explore the value of a codebase. The compiler analogy We’ve been here before - several times, actually.
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