“Measuring Programming Progress by Lines of Code is Like Measuring Aircraft Building Progress by Weight” — Bill Gates

Bill Gates’ analogy succinctly captures a fundamental flaw in how programming progress is often measured. Comparing lines of code (LOC) to the weight of an aircraft underscores the misguided reliance on superficial metrics to evaluate something as intricate and nuanced as software development. This analogy provokes a deeper examination of how we measure progress, efficiency, and success in software engineering.

Understanding the Analogy

When Bill Gates compares lines of code to the weight of an aircraft, he challenges a common but oversimplified approach to evaluating software development. In aircraft manufacturing, the weight of an aircraft doesn’t directly correlate with its functionality, safety, or performance. Similarly, in software development, more lines of code do not necessarily mean better software. In fact, it can mean the opposite — more complexity, more bugs, and more maintenance overhead.