  The rapid development of new software and algorithms, fueled by the immense
amount of data available, has made the shelf life of software products a lot
shorter. With a rough estimate of more than 40,000 new software projects
developed every day, it is becoming quicker and cheaper to abandon old software
and acquire new software that meets rapidly changing needs and demands. What
happens to software that is abandoned and what consequences may arise from
'throwaway' culture (Cooper, 2005) are still open questions. This paper will
explore the systems engineering concept of end-of-life for software, it will
highlight the gaps in existing software engineering practices, it will bring
forward examples of software that has been abandoned in an attempt to
decommission and it will explore the repercussions of abandoned software
artefacts. A proposed way forward for addressing the identified research gaps
is also detailed.
