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Comment by EdgarVerona | Hacker News Reader

I don't see it approaching that even with the lines of code for their existing packages. For instance, this is old and out of date, but you could extrapolate a ballpark estimate out of it... looks like back in 2007 or so JDK was about 6 million LoC (http://cr.openjdk.java.net/~darcy/OpenJdkDevGuide/OpenJdkDev...). Even if it increased tenfold since then, it's barely making a dent in that 500 million LoC number.

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Don't forget to add in the lines of code for the Linux kernel on which they are running and the MySQL database etc etc.

I kept reading the article and on the last you find this gem:

According to one specialist, the Web site contains about 500 million lines of software code. By comparison, a large bank’s computer system is typically about one-fifth that size.

That to me suggests the number is bogus, because it is so obviously a quote from someone who has no idea what they are talking about.

Simply measuring the web site in 'lines of code' as if that's meaningful indicates that it's a quote by someone who is not aware of how modern programming works.

Disagree, perhaps. If you were talking to a New York Times reporter, with an intended lay audience, how would you describe scope issues like this?

And while it's a poor metric, lines of code is not completely useless.

The linux kernel is ~15 million LOC. That also doesn't make a dent in 500 mil.

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