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Originally Posted by musikwerks  are there any coders here that might be able to shed light on how hard modifying a software package like Logic would be? |
Like all things, "it depends." There are a number of factors.
Bug fixes are relatively easy once the engineer has come up to speed on the code. The difficulty of this is a combination of how good the engineer is and how good the code is. Some code reads like a Clancey novel, and some like a poorly-translated Japanese electronic parts catalog.
Adding new features can range from pretty easy to nearly impossible, depending not only on the above issues, but also how well the new feature integrates into the architecture of what's already there. This in turn depends on how forward-looking the previous generation of coders were, and how long it's been since the last infrastructure rewrite.
Imagine wanting to add a studio space to the side of your house. Where are the load-bearing walls? Is there enough power run to that side? Heat and a/c? Internet and TV? Does the roof drain in the right place? Can you only reach it through the guest bedroom? You can see how it could be straightforward, or it could be a nightmare.
Companies that are serious about their software base periodically rewrite sizable chunks of it, to clean up years of incremental changes, to accommodate changing requirements, and to take into account a better understanding of how the whole thing should hang together. Kind of like ripping out all of the plumbing and electrical in your classic New Mexico home (with five dubious tacked-on additions over the last 100 years) and redoing it properly.