Verity Stob, a UK-based programmer writing under a pseudonym for Dr. Dobb's Journal in August 2002, introduces the Stob Cruft Index, a diagnostic tool for assessing the degradation of personal computers over time. Cruft is defined as the inevitable corruption and accumulation of obsolete code, unused interfaces, misspellings in system dictionaries, and digital detritus that gradually degrades system performance.

The index is modeled on Admiral Francis Beaufort's 1805 wind scale, translating software decay into nine progressively severe force levels. Force 0 (Virgin) describes a freshly installed Windows 2000 system with cheerful startup dialogs and quick compilation. Force 1 (New) introduces minor anomalies like inexplicable mouse cursor drift. By Force 3 (Lived-in), Word installation routines trigger randomly, and the C:\ directory expands from 9 to 17 folders.

Progressive degradation accelerates at higher force levels. Force 4 (Middle-aged) brings boot delays exceeding 30 seconds and the first Blue Screen of Death. Force 5 (Worn out) features mysterious failed services that reappear after deletion and Word startup times reaching 4 minutes 30 seconds. Force 6 (Limping) sees development tools refusing to compile after deleted components are mysteriously "remembered."

At Force 7 (Wounded), the original user account becomes unusable, forcing login as alternate accounts, while BOOT.INI accumulates nine boot options including broken Linux installations. Force 8 (Decrepit) delivers daily Blue Screens, a bloated system tray from failed screensaver processes, and rare LAN connections. Force 9 (Putrefaction) represents complete system failure: partitions become intermittently inaccessible, the C:\ directory swells to 93 folders, and control panel becomes non-functional.

Stob notes the initial version targets Windows 2000 but promises ports to Linux, Mac OS X, and other Unix variants, confident these operating systems are equally susceptible to cruft accumulation over time.