The Null Abyss

Before design, before intent, There lies the land of what was meant. No choice declared, no judgment passed - Just endless code that cannot last.

Before we crossed the threshold of deeper torment, we came upon a place of sorrow, unmarked by any formal gate but dreadful in its formlessness. A chaotic plain stretched before us, under a sky the color of a dead screen.

"Hark", the Sage began, "These are the souls who lived without infamy and without praise. In their mortal work, they were for themselves, neither for the project nor against it. They are the authors of the Temporary Solution and the Quick Hack. Theirs is the code preceded by the comment # TODO: Refactor this later— a promise they never intended to keep."

I saw a frantic, aimless multitude of souls. They were naked, goaded on by swarms of wasps and hornets that represented the very bugs they had introduced. They ran, and ran, chasing a fluttering banner that was forever just out of reach. On it were written words that shimmered and changed: Proof of Concept, "Demo", MVP.

"What is their torment?" I asked, shielding my eyes from the pitiful sight.

"Their punishment is their sin, made manifest," the Sage explained. "In life, they would not commit to a design, so here they are uncommitted for eternity. They chase a goal that is forever shifting, for their work had no solid foundation. They are stung by the consequences of their neglect - the support tickets and user complaints they thought another would handle. Their blood and tears, mingled, are feasted upon by worms below - the slow, crawling performance degradation that eats away at the system’s core."

I saw among them the face of a developer who once told me, "Don’t worry, it’s just a prototype. We’ll throw it away." And I knew then that

No code, once deployed, is ever truly thrown away.

With a shudder, I turned from them, and the Sage led me to a great river - the crossing into the First Circle.