- Rapid obsolescing of technology that developers have a hard time keeping up with the current version and finding combination of product releases that work together.
- Results in breaking changes to other dependent technologies due to compatibility issues
Example
Java is a well-known example of this phenomenom, with new versions coming out every few months. For example, by the time a book on Java 1.X goes to press, a new Java Development Kit obsoletes the information.
Prevention
Adopting to open system standards is a way to prevent this anti-pattern.