1 part complexity. Thousands of classes, millions of lines of code, xml configuration files decipherable only by parsers, and all the latest technologies and buzzwords contribute here. (Don't forget to mix in a pinch of WS-* for good measure.)
1 part extensibility. How many of us use the software we do because of vibrant plugin communities? (Eclipse?) Lots of plugins tells me an application is probably alive and well, and has dozens of passionate users to turn to for help when I need it. (IntelliJ/MS MVPs?)
Plugins: are those little bits of custom code you download by clicking Tools->Addons -usually written by one "Who, I Have No Idea"- that run in-process and have privileged access to the local file system, main memory and all the data contained therein.
and...
1 part connectivity. Technology is more pervasive today than ever before and people are using it to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones - I'm thinking Web 2.0's poster children here: MySpace, Facebook, flickr, etc., but this criterion could be applied much more broadly (SMS?). One of my fave quotes comes from Sun Microsystems's Whitfield Diffie: (Not originally his.)
"As the number of interactions between people goes up, their relative security goes down."
Dr. Whitfield Diffie, Chief Sun Security Guy, Crypto Wiz.
Phishing, stalking and child abduction have all flourished, sadly :-(, in these new online communities by adapting to the new medium faster than did law enforcement.
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