> The availability of skills is also an issue. Many of the engineers who worked on the project - Voyager 1 launched in 1977 - are no longer around,
Can you just imagine that? You wrote software in your 30s, and then 50 years later your grandchildren have to come visit you in the old folks home to ask you:
"Grandad, why did you write this goto statement at line 1892? Our AI think it might have to do with avoiding a hardware issue?"
to which you then reply, "my dear, even if you asked me one year after I wrote it, I would not be able to tell you."
Can you just imagine that? You wrote software in your 30s, and then 50 years later your grandchildren have to come visit you in the old folks home to ask you:
"Grandad, why did you write this goto statement at line 1892? Our AI think it might have to do with avoiding a hardware issue?"
to which you then reply, "my dear, even if you asked me one year after I wrote it, I would not be able to tell you."