Legacy systems & Ethics & Closing

Question 1

How do Brodie & Stonebraker define a legacy information system?

Answer 1

“Any information system that significantly resists modification and evolution.” :contentReference[oaicite:26]{index=26}

Question 2

What developer-centric definition of legacy code does Michael Feathers give?

Answer 2

“Code without tests.” :contentReference[oaicite:27]{index=27}

Question 3

List the four strategic responses to ageing systems covered in the lecture.

Answer 3

Maintenance, Wrapping, Migration, Redevelopment. :contentReference[oaicite:28]{index=28}

Question 4

Which strategy often allocates up to 80 % of effort to testing?

Answer 4

Data migration. :contentReference[oaicite:29]{index=29}

Question 5

What is the first step in Feathers’ “cover-and-modify” workflow?

Answer 5

Identify change points and test points, then break dependencies so tests can be inserted. :contentReference[oaicite:30]{index=30}

Question 6

Name two risks of the “big-bang” redevelopment approach.

Answer 6

High upfront cost and high failure risk due to massive requirements elicitation. :contentReference[oaicite:31]{index=31}

Question 7

Why are behaviour-preserving pilots or parallel runs important during migration?

Answer 7

They let teams validate that the new system matches legacy behaviour before cut-over. :contentReference[oaicite:32]{index=32}

Question 8

Give one business reason organisations keep legacy systems alive.

Answer 8

Core data and business rules are embedded and difficult or risky to extract. :contentReference[oaicite:33]{index=33}

Question 9

State one technical barrier that turns modern code into future legacy.

Answer 9

Obsolete third-party libraries that are no longer maintained. :contentReference[oaicite:34]{index=34}

Question 10

Which three ethical principles are repeatedly challenged in software case studies?

Answer 10

User safety, privacy, and informed consent. :contentReference[oaicite:35]{index=35}

Question 11

Summarise the Zoom COVID-19 ethics issue in one sentence.

Answer 11

Weak encryption and hidden servers undermined user privacy amid rapid user growth. :contentReference[oaicite:36]{index=36}

Question 12

What data-privacy lesson comes from the Tinder 800-page data dump?

Answer 12

“Consent” can hide asymmetrical power; users seldom foresee long-term use of collected data. :contentReference[oaicite:37]{index=37}

Question 13

Describe the key failure in the Danish ambulance record tablet pilot.

Answer 13

Realtime data entry clashed with patient care, forcing medics to choose between treatment and legal documentation—pilot was shut down. :contentReference[oaicite:38]{index=38}

Question 14

How many principles make up the ACM Software Engineering Code of Ethics?

Answer 14

Eight: public, client, product, judgment, management, profession, colleagues, self. :contentReference[oaicite:39]{index=39}

Question 15

Give one example of the “public” principle in action.

Answer 15

Refusing to ship a feature that puts user safety at known risk. :contentReference[oaicite:40]{index=40}

Question 16

What organisational factor often blocks legacy modernisation?

Answer 16

Competing business priorities that underfund non-visible infrastructure work. :contentReference[oaicite:41]{index=41}

Question 17

Explain “stewardship of the past” in one line.

Answer 17

Respecting the investment and tacit knowledge embodied in existing systems while changing them responsibly. :contentReference[oaicite:42]{index=42}

Question 18

What are the two final duties the closing slide assigns to architects?

Answer 18

Stewardship of the past and stewardship of society. :contentReference[oaicite:43]{index=43}

Question 19

Which ethics case involved an encryption firm pivoting to spyware?

Answer 19

The lecture’s “encryption-turned-spyware” cautionary tale—betrayed user trust for profit. :contentReference[oaicite:44]{index=44}

Question 20

Why is formal ethics training still rare among engineers?

Answer 20

University curricula and company onboarding often prioritise technical skill over ethical reflection, despite societal impact. :contentReference[oaicite:45]{index=45}

Question 21

List two red flags that a legacy system may soon become an operational risk.

Answer 21

Few remaining experts understand it (truck factor ≈ 1) and vendor hardware/support is nearing end-of-life. :contentReference[oaicite:46]{index=46}

Question 22

How can wrapping a legacy system create new maintenance burdens?

Answer 22

It introduces a second technology stack—the wrapper—requiring its own updates and monitoring. :contentReference[oaicite:47]{index=47}

Question 23

What KPI can indicate ethical health for data-heavy apps?

Answer 23

Number of user-requested data deletions successfully fulfilled per quarter (GDPR Right-to-Erase compliance). :contentReference[oaicite:48]{index=48}

Question 24

Give a concise exam definition of a legacy system.

Answer 24

A software system that significantly resists modification and evolution, often due to obsolete technology, missing tests, or business entanglement. :contentReference[oaicite:49]{index=49}

Question 25

Provide a concise exam definition of professional software ethics.

Answer 25

The disciplined application of principles that balance employer goals with user welfare and societal good, as captured by the ACM Code. :contentReference[oaicite:50]{index=50}