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#81
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OT American decline in tech was: ENvironmentally Friendly ...
I agree software development isn't engineering, even though I've held the
title of Software Engineer. In engineering, it's possible to design something (beam, bolt, resistor, whatever) that's 50% stronger than required. I'd love to know how to design software that's 50% more reliable than required. I call myself a Software Architect. Designing good software is more difficult than practicing any engineering discipline. |
#82
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OT American decline in tech was: ENvironmentally Friendly...
Jon Woellhaf wrote:
I agree software development isn't engineering, even though I've held the title of Software Engineer. In engineering, it's possible to design something (beam, bolt, resistor, whatever) that's 50% stronger than required. I'd love to know how to design software that's 50% more reliable than required. Yes, that is one of the key differences. I call myself a Software Architect. Sounds very appropriate. Designing good software is more difficult than practicing any engineering discipline. I don't disagree having written software and designed circuits and now designing structures (got bored with the electrical/computer world). And this is exactly the reason that most engineers object to others using the term engineering inappropriately. Computer science has not yet progressed to the stage where one can make predictions of performance in advance and, better yet, design to a specific performance target. That is one of the essential elements of engineering. Personally, I object to people using the term engineering just to gain credibility that aren't willing to earn. When software is designed and constructed with the precision, predictability and reliability of products from real engineering disciplines, then I'll be happy to welcome software into the engineering realm. I doubt, however, that this is likely anytime soon for the simple reason that software really is different from most other technical disciplines and in many ways is as close to writing a novel as to designing a structure. That aside, I personally believe if people in the software world would spend as much effort on developing their craft as they do on trying to claim an engineering title they haven't earned, they might actually progress the discipline to the point that it would have credibility on its own. One of the reasons I left the software world in the mid 90s is the prevailing culture of mediocrity. I was always researching techniques to improve software reliability and predictability, looking at more robust languages such as Ada, more reliable operating systems, etc., but my colleagues much preferred languages such as C and OSes such as Windows that have holes you can drive a truck through. After several years of being the only one in the department who really cared about advancing the profession rather than being a cowboy, I decided to move into a real engineering discipline. I haven't looked back and I see no indication of any real culture change in the industry. Matt |
#83
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OT American decline in tech was: ENvironmentally Friendly ...
Matt Whiting wrote ... One of the reasons I left the software world in the mid 90s is the prevailing culture of mediocrity. Unintentionally encouraged by management, in my experience. I was always researching techniques to improve software reliability and predictability, looking at more robust languages such as Ada, more reliable operating systems, etc., but my colleagues much preferred languages such as C and OSes such as Windows that have holes you can drive a truck through. I'm able to write lousy programs in both Ada and C. g |
#84
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OT American decline in tech was: ENvironmentally Friendly...
Jon Woellhaf wrote:
Matt Whiting wrote ... One of the reasons I left the software world in the mid 90s is the prevailing culture of mediocrity. Unintentionally encouraged by management, in my experience. I was always researching techniques to improve software reliability and predictability, looking at more robust languages such as Ada, more reliable operating systems, etc., but my colleagues much preferred languages such as C and OSes such as Windows that have holes you can drive a truck through. I'm able to write lousy programs in both Ada and C. g I'm sure you are! However, in C it comes almost automatically. Matt |
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