Forever Live in the Programming

Traditionally people have sought immortality through offspring, great works of art, or written words.

Over the weekend I remarked to a buddy that a piece of code I wrote is now in so many business intelligence systems (copied from my company RevSystems) that I am immortal. I believe my quote was:

“I will die in the body but forever live in the programming.” - Matt McDonagh

Code is a new medium for achieving immortality.

The programs we write, the systems we build, can continue to function and influence the world long after we're gone.

That’s the power of digital. Now contrast that with the physical, you can create a dizzyingly beautiful sculpture from the finest marble only to see that same artwork decay to dust in just a few centuries.

While code can certainly outlast its creator… "forever" is a long time. Programming languages evolve, systems become obsolete, and data degrades. So, while the quote above is powerful, the reality is more nuanced.

But I am 100% okay with my code rhyming inst…