Yes, highly optimising compilers can be less predictable. But given the choice between two compilers, where one is easier to reason about but the other produces faster overall code, I'd pick the latter every time.
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Over a sufficiently long time horizon, all code you write is legacy code.
Do users of immutable systems (i.e Nix or Guix) upgrade more or less often than other platforms?
There's less pressure to upgrade (unlike a rolling release distro) but in principle upgrading is easier.
I'm intrigued to see that Google has quantified that new code is generally buggier and less secure than code that has existed in your codebase for longer: https://security.googleblog.com/2024/09/eliminating-memory-safety-vulnerabilities-Android.html