[kfcm]

Remember, this article was written about 12 years ago.

That said, there are times when tossing out the whole thing and starting over is absolutely the right thing to do. You can identify these apps by when the 8x5 sticky index cards describing defects fill a 9'x15' wall, application instability is a feature, and the "Big Ball of Mud" anti-pattern definition uses the app as its case study.