the process by which a web link becomes broken or irrelevant as time goes on

"Windows Rot" is the name someone gave the process by which a Windows machine becomes progressively slower the longer you use it and the more software you install on it.

A tounge in cheek explanation from programmers as to why an old program no longer works, even if it hasn't been touched in years.
Also applys to the decay of physical storage mediums.

The wincentile was invented by Microsoft in the early 90s, but is now found in just about every progeny of computer software. It is a percentile point which is bigger than the other 99, specifically one that takes a long time when a computer program is displaying its progress. Why these percentiles take longer than the other percentiles has always been a big mystery to end-users.

Usually a wincentile is the last percentile, just to cause the end-user additional stress and anguish, however wincentiles have been reported to occur earlier than that, especially in the Windows 95 installation process, where it is reported that several wincentiles even coexist in the same batch of 100.

v., win·rot·ted, win·rot·ting.

v.
1. The inevitable creeping, pernicious degradation of the integrity of Windows systems to the point where they run slowly, behave erratically, or stop working altogether.

v.tr.
1. To cause Windows to decompose or decay. “Adobe Reader winrotted my fresh install”.

n.
1. The process of Windows rotting or the condition of being rotten: “The winrot spread quickly, rendering the system slow and unstable”.
2. Any of several Windows programs characterized by the breakdown of stability, speed or security. “Don't install Norton. It is absolute winrot”.

Computer code that starts out small, and through extensions gains a few "bad practice" changes. Over the years, extensions mirroring the bad practice start adding up, until physical symptoms begin to appear. The system may become slow and unresponsive but it still work, for example, so it continues to grow uncontrollably.

Once this happens, there are no good options. You are forced to choose between the software development equivalents of chemotherapy or radical surgery.

Like other forms of cancer, early detection and treatment is the best option.

A piece of software that will never ever in a million years be completed. Use as-is, pick up up again, rebuild from scratch and leave it to rot for another five years.