Don't throw away all that work

I recently read an "old" article related to common mistakes made by software developers and development managers. One of the biggest ones is to throw out the old code to allow for a fresh start on a product. As the author explains, you are not only tossing a code base that may be ugly and difficult to read. You are also tossing out hours (days, years) of bug fix efforts and field testing not to mention code that has proven to work in multiple unique environments for (possibly) years. As always, the one solution (or idea) fits all mentality never works. Keeping the culture of the company, the history of the project and the vision of the product for the future in mind will ultimately help to determine the best course of action for you.