It is possible to write software that solves real business problems, cheaply and reliably. The recipe is well known, even though it's not easy to do.
I am an Extreme Programmer. I help individuals, teams and organization become more effective. I'm lucky to work as a developer for ThoughtWorks, mostly in the Milano area. I used to teach at Università dell'Insubria.
So then why do so many programmers still work in MODE-A? They do, you know. They pile mess upon mess, and framework upon framework, until their loop time grows from seconds to minutes and longer? They inject so many dependencies that the builds become fragile and error-prone. They create so many unisolated external dependencies that they might as well be using paper tape. Why would anybody do anything that increased their loop time? Why wouldn't everyone defend their loop time with their lives?
Uncle Bob, The Mode-B Imperative