Oh, really now? Sure, if only bandaids are applied to bugs, then the bugs will reemerge, for sure. But no software is too large or complicated or even too cluttered to fix. Doesn't mean it will be affordable to do so, of course. However, "with enough eyes, all bugs are shallow" - Linus Torvalds.
Heh, I like your attitude and I share your opinion (I use Arch btw, just sayin').
However, I've also been here since day 1 back in 2014 (and the forums soon after).
I've seen how FDev developed from a competent software developer to a trainee programm that has more the falir of a DIY project than a structured and well organized one.
When there was a very annoying bug, FDev would fix it within 24 hours. Today, we can be happy if they fix it at all, let alone acknowledge it exists.
This is because most of the original team has been moved to other projects or left the company, taking their know-how with them.
And since you have quoted Linus, I believe you are familair with the different wordls of well documented open source software, ... and basically everything else.
Having worked myself on various projects with what-do-I-know how many generations of coders have been working on that already with very little to confusing or straight forward
no documentation, the latest generation of FDev coders might experience the same problem.
Which brings us to your last point: might not be affordable.
And this is what I wanted to say. I don't believe it's
worth fixing the bugs anymore. As in affordable.
If it would be me, I'd kill content development for Elite entirely and focus on balancing issues, network improvements and bug fixing that are easy to fix. Just don't touch Elite anymore as FDev breaks it further and further each time they do. No matter what they do to the game at this point, it's bad. Whatever they plan to do in the future will most likely be worse. This trend has been ongoing since the end of Horizons with the exception of fleet carriers.
The best they could do is to
remove content from the game such as multicrew that is just straight forward a joke. Barely works, noone really uses it and doesn't offer any meaningful gamepaly anyways.
CQC would be the next step, despite it working okay-ish but the interest from the community is very low.
Strip the game from old dead weights so it becomes easier to maintain.