What single word can we use to describe something that has “died through neglect”? For example, a plant that has died due to the gardener forgetting to water it.
Note: I’m specifically hoping to apply this word to a software program that used to be amazing but sadly is no longer maintained and thus defunct.
I actually really like the word you used: I would refer to such a software program as defunct, especially if it might be resuscitated in the future. From Wiktionary:
defunct (comparative more defunct, superlative most defunct)
- (now rare) Deceased, dead.
- No longer in use, inactive.
- (computing) Specifically, of a program: that has terminated but is still shown in the list of processes because the parent process that created it is still running and has not yet reaped it. See also zombie, zombie process.
- (business) No longer in business or service.
Abandoned:
- carelessly disregarded without consideration for the consequences.
An unsupported program/software will end up useless because of lack of proper assistance:
- (Computing) (Of a program, language, or device) not having assistance for the user available from a manufacturer or systems manager.
(ODO)
Although the word is often used for buildings and the like, used in a little bit of a metaphorical way I am sure the picture will be clear if you use derelict.
1 In a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect [ODO]
I have often seen software (from an architectural perspective) described as a building, and this would fit right in when the building starts to collapse because of poor maintenance.
The specific word for this state, when referring to software, is abandonware:
Abandonware is a product, typically software, ignored by its owner and manufacturer, and for which no product support is available. Although such software is usually still under copyright, the owner may not be tracking or enforcing copyright violations. Abandonware is one case of the general concept of orphan works. - Wikipedia
There are lots of communities that care for and try to resurrect or provide new homes for abandonware: https://www.google.ca/search?q=abandonware - especially old abandonware games.
In the specific context of software projects, those which lose their maintainer are usually called either abandoned or orphaned.
Quoting the wiktionary:
abandoned
- No longer maintained by its former owners, residents or caretakers; forsaken, deserted.
orphaned
- Abandoned
I found an orphaned project, half-completed before its author quit, and decided to finish it.
Withered. This can be used for a plant that is deficient of water or for an arm that doesn't have enough muscle, whether due to old age or a medical condition.
You can use the simple term,'disuse'.
As: The garden fell into disuse and became overgrown.
Other terms like 'desuetude' or 'abandoned' or'forsaken' may be tried.
Yet another term, 'dilapidated'(meaning fallen into a state of deterioration, especially through neglect) may suit the purpose. It has synonyms like rundown, tumbledown,unkempt, bedraggled etc.
Forlorn
- miserable, wretched, or cheerless; desolate
- deserted; forsaken
- (foll by: of) destitute; bereft: forlorn of hope.
- desperate: the last forlorn attempt.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/forlorn
Note: there might also be an idea of sadness because of this status.
Dilapidated
Dilapidated : decayed, deteriorated, or fallen into partial ruin especially through neglect or misuse Merriam-Webster
It's a 90% fit in the plant case (because the plant's already dead), but exactly right for every other use.
It's a standard term for a program or software feature that was intentionally declared to be obsolete, regardless of whether it was still in use. I would say that the software in question has been neglected ever since it was deprecated.
(taken from the comments by talrnu and recognizer; certainly deserves to be an answer)
In French there is dépérir that describes this exact nuance. French are pretty melancolic I guess, to have a word that describes this.
Mostly it is used in reflexive form, se dépérir de (dying from the neglect of something or someone in particular).
So if you're not afraid of gallicism you could try deperish.
Atrophy
To gradually decline in effectiveness or vigor due to underuse or neglect
Example: WordPerfect was wonderful program before it atrophied.
Languished
My choice for the best one-word term would simply be: OUTDATED. Neglect is the "lack of attention/maintenance." So, just as the forgotten house plant may expire from lack of being watered, a software program may become obsolete due to the lack of updating. Hence, without maintenance it is replaced by newer programs. It becomes outdated.
Of course, this is not in reference to the (plant) example given, but to the actual question.
software rot
(programming) The tendency of software that has not been used in a while to fail; such failure may be semi-humorously ascribed to bit rot. More commonly, "software rot" strikes when a program's assumptions become out of date. If the design was insufficiently robust, this may cause it to fail in mysterious ways.
Put in an oubliette perhaps? An oubliette was a place where you imprisoned people who you wished to forget about. You just dropped them in and left, although in actuality they were often fed and watered pending ransom. https://thebrokenpiecesofme.wordpress.com/2013/11/30/oubliette-new-word-for-the-day/
Legally speaking, it's
Gross negligence is a legal concept which means serious carelessness. Negligence is the opposite of diligence, or being careful. The standard of ordinary negligence is what conduct deviates from the proverbial "reasonable person." By analogy, if somebody has been grossly negligent, that means they have fallen so far below the ordinary standard of care that one can expect, to warrant the label of being "gross." (Wikipedia)
You can also say that it's criminal (negligence)
informal (Of an action or situation) deplorable and shocking:
As in: "It's criminal (negligence) that they stopped supporting that software"
EDIT: Oh, I see you want a word to describe the dead plant, not the process... In that case, The software is grossly/criminally neglected
I don't think there is a single word that captures "died from neglect". Most of the answers till now capture the "neglected" part but not "died from neglect". Wither came close but still no cigar. Although, there is an idiom based on wither that exactly fits:
wither on the vine (also die on the vine)
Fig. [for someone or something] to be ignored or neglected and thereby be wasted.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
if something withers on the vine, it is destroyed very gradually, usually because no one does anything to help or support it
Cambridge Idioms Dictionary
It can be used in software-related contexts also. Here is an excerpt from the book Software Project Survival Guide by Steve McConnell (1997):
About two million people are working on about 300,000 software projects in the United States at this time. Between one third and two thirds of those projects will exceed their schedule and budget targets before they are delivered. Of the most expensive software projects, about half will eventually be canceled for being out of control. Many more are canceled in subtle ways—they are left to wither on the vine, or their sponsors simply declare victory and leave the battlefield without any new software to show for their trouble.
Exanimate may be one word that can fit here.
adjective
1. inanimate or lifeless.
2. spiritless; disheartened.
