[yummypaint]

There seems to be an underlying assumption in many of these posts that code has no value once papers are published. This hasn't been my experience working in a research environment at all. The big, complex pieces of code are almost always re-used in some way. For example, theory collaborators send us their code so we can generate predictions from their work without bothering them. Probably 50% or more (and usually the most important parts) of the code written to process experimental data ends up in other experiments. From the perspective of an individual experimentalist, there is tremendous value in creating quality code that can be easily repurposed for future tasks. This core code tends to follow the individual in their career. In some ways it's an extension of commonly used mental tools, and there are diverse incentives to maintain it.