Statement (1995)
Software is getting slower more rapidly than hardware is becoming faster.” — Niklaus Wirth
Also known as: The Law of Software Bloat
Original Context Niklaus Wirth articulated this in his 1995 paper “A Plea for Lean Software,” attributing the observation to Martin Reiser, who wrote:
“The hope is that the progress in hardware will cure all software ills. However, a critical observer may observe that software manages to outgrow hardware in size and sluggishness.”
Modern Relevance
With hardware improvement rates slowing (the end of Moore’s Law), Wirth’s Law becomes even more important. The contrast with Moore’s Law is stark:[ • Moore’s Law: Hardware doubles in capability every ~2 years • Wirth’s Law: Software complexity grows faster than hardware improves • Net result: Users don’t experience the expected performance improvements and software development needs to actively mitigate performance concerns
Sources: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirth%27s_law) (Understanding Wirth’s Law: How Software Complexity Counteracts Hardware Advancements) (Wirth’s Law and Its Impact on Software Development)
Note
This content was drafted with assistance from AI tools for research, organization, and initial content generation. All final content has been reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by the author to ensure accuracy and alignment with the author’s intentions and perspective.