[ArkyBeagle]

We may need those things, but it's increasingly clear that we cannot afford them so far as we know. I'm using "afford" widely - if we needed those things and understood that need properly, we'd have them. It's the mythic "$20 bill on the ground" - if it was really there, someone would have picked it up by now.

it's no great secret how to write robust and unfragile software. We apparently only lack the will to do it.

I've been in spots where we priced a defect, and they still didn't want it fixed.

[mk89]

I have also worked for such companies. It's more common than what you and I think :)

However, they cannot afford them because they simply don't want to be the best. Look at those companies who invest in people and give them time to grow/think/be. Their products are above average. Why?

When you want to be the best, you simply have no other way than "thinking" and "reasoning". Unless you are just lucky and you get one or two Einstein[s]. But even then, if you don't give such a genius the right environment, he is gonna do his best to get away from you.

What you call will I call it attitude towards business. Nowadays we don't write software anymore to make a product last at least 10 years, we build companies to be sold in order to get someone (the founder) rich so that he can invest in new crap to sell. Why should he waste 500-1000 $ when that money can go to a new feature or an "important" bug (coming from a bigger customer)?