Certainly they could be improved. Swift and MirageOS are great examples. IBM's mainframes and AS/400 line are good examples given they adapted them to most useful, popular technologies + still backward compatible. Remember, though, that backward compatibility constrains the biggest and oldest systems in ways that prevent architectural improvements. All the biggest companies lining Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP's pockets would have to throw away their apps that they can't even rebuild. Not happening.
So, our best bet is that small to midsized firms with more flexibility keep adopting these technologies. That's fuels investment into them to get them eventually at a level like Microsoft and Oracle. That enterprises have switched to service model helps in that they keep some services on old tech but implement some on newer, better stuff (ex Python at BofA). So, these trends are what we have to bank on.
One thing, though: better get it right the first time as your newer, better tech will eventually be a legacy tech someone else is maintaining. It's why I focus on readability, interfaces, and type safety for maintenance concerns a lot more now in tech.
So, our best bet is that small to midsized firms with more flexibility keep adopting these technologies. That's fuels investment into them to get them eventually at a level like Microsoft and Oracle. That enterprises have switched to service model helps in that they keep some services on old tech but implement some on newer, better stuff (ex Python at BofA). So, these trends are what we have to bank on.
One thing, though: better get it right the first time as your newer, better tech will eventually be a legacy tech someone else is maintaining. It's why I focus on readability, interfaces, and type safety for maintenance concerns a lot more now in tech.