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Software engineering

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The Airbus A380 uses a substantial amount of software to create a "paperless" cockpit. Software engineering maps and plans the millions of lines of code constituting the plane's software. On June 26, 1988, an A320 Airbus crashed during the France Air Show due to software malfunction.

Software engineering (SE) is a profession dedicated to designing, implementing, and modifying software so that it is of higher quality, more affordable, maintainable, and faster to build. The term software engineering first appeared in the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference, and was meant to provoke thought regarding the perceived "software crisis" at the time.[1][2] Since the field is still relatively young compared to its sister fields of engineering, there is still much debate around what software engineering actually is, and if it conforms to the classical definition of engineering[3]. Some people argue that development of computer software is more art than science [4], and that attempting to impose engineering disciplines over a type of art is an exercise in futility because what represents good practice in the creation of software is not even defined.[5] Others, such as Steve McConnell, argue that engineering's blend of art and science to achieve practical ends provides a useful model for software development.[6] The IEEE Computer Society's Software Engineering Body of Knowledge defines "software engineering" as the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software.[7]

Software development, a much used and more generic term, does not necessarily subsume the engineering paradigm. Although it is questionable what impact it has had on actual software development over the last more than 40 years,[8][9] the field's future looks bright according to Money Magazine and Salary.com, who rated "software engineering" as the best job in the United States in 2006.[10]

History

Main article: History of software engineering

When the first modern digital computers appeared in the early 1940s,[11] the instructions to make them operate were wired into the machine. Practitioners quickly realized that this design was not flexible and came up with the "stored program architecture" or von Neumann architecture. Thus the first division between "hardware" and "software" began with abstraction being used to deal with the complexity of computing.

Programming languages started to appear in the 1950s and this was also another major step in abstraction. Major languages such as Fortran, ALGOL, and COBOL were released in the late 1950s to deal with scientific, algorithmic, and business problems respectively. E.W. Dijkstra wrote his seminal paper, "Go To Statement Considered Harmful",[12] in 1968 and David Parnas introduced the key concept of modularity and information hiding in 1972[13] to help programmers deal with the ever increasing complexity of software systems. A software system for managing the hardware called an operating system was also introduced, most notably by Unix in 1969. In 1967, the Simula language introduced the object-oriented programming paradigm.

These advances in software were met with more advances in computer hardware. In the mid 1970s, the microcomputer was introduced, making it economical for hobbyists to obtain a computer and write software for it. This in turn led to the now famous Personal Computer (PC) and Microsoft Windows. The Software Development Life Cycle or SDLC was also starting to appear as a consensus for centralized construction of software in the mid 1980s. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the introduction of several new Simula-inspired object-oriented programming languages, including Smalltalk, Objective-C, and C++.

Open-source software started to appear in the early 90s in the form of Linux and other software introducing the "bazaar" or decentralized style of constructing software.[14] Then the World Wide Web and the popularization of the Internet hit in the mid 90s, changing the engineering of software once again. Distributed systems gained sway as a way to design systems, and the Java programming language was introduced with its own virtual machine as another step in abstraction. Programmers collaborated and wrote the Agile Manifesto, which favored more lightweight processes to create cheaper and more timely software.

The current definition of software engineering is still being debated by practitioners today as they struggle to come up with ways to produce software that is "cheaper, better, faster". Cost reduction has been a primary focus of the IT industry since the 1990s. Total cost of ownership represents the costs of more than just acquisition. It includes things like productivity impediments, upkeep efforts, and resources needed to support infrastructure.

Service Oriented Architecture brings a unqiue tie of managing IT expenses in relation to value provided. Its main thesis is orienting the operation of IT infrastructure in accordance with how the business wants to operate. This is different than in the past, when many businesses were driven by what IT could provide rather than what the business needed.

Profession

Main article: Software engineer

Legal requirements for the licensing or certification of professional software engineers vary around the world. In the UK, the British Computer Society licenses software engineers and members of the society can also become Chartered Engineers (CEng), while in some areas of Canada, such as Alberta, Ontario,[15] and Quebec, software engineers can hold the Professional Engineer (P.Eng)designation and/or the Information Systems Professional (I.S.P.) designation; however, there is no legal requirement to have these qualifications. In Israel a person with an appropriate engineering degree has the right to be listed in Israel's Registry of Engineers and Architects[16], and Israeli engineering law[17] says that a person calling themselves an engineer without the proper license / registration could be sentenced to up to 6 months in jail.

The IEEE Computer Society and the ACM, the two main professional organizations of software engineering, publish guides to the profession of software engineering. The IEEE's Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge - 2004 Version, or SWEBOK, defines the field and describes the knowledge the IEEE expects a practicing software engineer to have. The IEEE also promulgates a "Software Engineering Code of Ethics".[18]

Employment

In 2004, the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 760,840 software engineers holding jobs in the U.S.; in the same time period there were some 1.4 million practitioners employed in the U.S. in all other engineering disciplines combined.[19] Due to its relative newness as a field of study, formal education in software engineering is often taught as part of a computer science curriculum, and many software engineers hold computer science degrees.[20]

Many software engineers work as employees or contractors. Software engineers work with businesses, government agencies (civilian or military), and non-profit organizations. Some software engineers work for themselves as freelancers. Some organizations have specialists to perform each of the tasks in the software development process. Other organizations require software engineers to do many or all of them. In large projects, people may specialize in only one role. In small projects, people may fill several or all roles at the same time. Specializations include: in industry (analysts, architects, developers, testers, technical support, middleware analysts, managers) and in academia (educators, researchers).

Bill rates for US engagements from top-tier consulting firms can be as high as US$325 per hour.[21][need quotation to verify] The individual consultant would see direct compensation of about 15-20% of this amount. A fresher entering into consulting as a profession may achieve 2010 compensation of US$50,000 for the year. Well-connected veterans in this field can monetize their experience and earn upwards of US$300,000 by exploiting multiple consulting engagements simultaneously and working remotely.[citation needed]

Certification

The Software Engineering Institute offers certification on specific topics like Security, Process improvement and Software architecture[22]. Apple, IBM, Microsoft and other companies also sponsor their own certification examinations. Many IT certification programs are oriented toward specific technologies, and managed by the vendors of these technologies.[23] These certification programs are tailored to the institutions that would employ people who use these technologies.

Broader certification of general software engineering skills is available through various professional societies. As of 2006, the IEEE had certified over 575 software professionals as a Certified Software Development Professional (CSDP).[24] In 2008 they added an entry-level certification known as the Certified Software Development Associate (CSDA).[25] In the U.K. the British Computer Society has developed a legally recognized professional certification called Chartered IT Professional (CITP), available to fully qualified Members (MBCS). In Canada the Canadian Information Processing Society has developed a legally recognized professional certification called Information Systems Professional (ISP)[26]. The ACM had a professional certification program in the early 1980s,[citation needed] which was discontinued due to lack of interest. The ACM examined the possibility of professional certification of software engineers in the late 1990s, but eventually decided that such certification was inappropriate for the professional industrial practice of software engineering.[27]

Impact of globalization

The initial impact of outsourcing, and the relatively lower cost of international human resources in developing third world countries led to the dot com bubble burst of the 1990s. This had a negative impact on many aspects of the software engineering profession. For example, some students in the developed world avoid education related to software engineering because of the fear of offshore outsourcing (importing software products or services from other countries) and of being displaced by foreign visa workers.[28] Although statistics do not currently show a threat to software engineering itself; a related career, computer programming does appear to have been affected.[29][30] Nevertheless, the ability to smartly leverage offshore and near-shore resources in an efficient fashion has improved the overall operational capability of many organizations[31]. When Europeans are leaving work, Asians are just arriving to work. When Asians are leaving work, Europeans are arriving to work. This provides a continuous ability to have human oversight on business-critical processes 24 hours per day, without paying overtime compensation or disrupting key human resource sleep patterns.

Education

A knowledge of programming is a pre-requisite to becoming a software engineer. In 2004 the IEEE Computer Society produced the SWEBOK, which has been published as ISO/IEC Technical Report 19759:2004, describing the body of knowledge that they believe a software engineer should have[citation needed].

Many software engineers enter the profession by obtaining a university degree or training at a vocational school. One standard international curriculum for undergraduate software engineering degrees was defined by the CCSE, and updated in 2004.[32] Many universities have well-established Software Engineering degree programs [citation needed].

In addition to university education, many companies sponsor internships for students wishing to pursue careers in Information Technology. These internships can introduce the student to interesting real-world tasks that typical Software Engineers encounter every day. Similar experience can be gained through military service in software engineering.

Sub-disciplines

Software engineering can be divided into ten subdisciplines. They are:[7]

Software engineering is related to the disciplines of computer science, management science, and systems engineering.[33][34]

Computer science

Software engineering is considered an area of computer science by some academics.[citation needed] Many of the foundations of software engineering come from computer science.

Project management

The building of a software system is usually considered a project and the management of it borrows many principles from the field of Project management.

Systems engineering

Systems engineers have been dealing with the complexity of large systems for many decades and their knowledge is applied to many software engineering problems.

See also

Main article: Outline of software engineering

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References

  1. ^ Peter, Naur (7–11 October 1968). Software engineering: Report of a conference sponsored by the NATO Science Committee (PDF). Garmisch, Germany: Scientific Affairs Division, NATO. Retrieved 2008-12-26. {{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Randell, Brian (10 August 2001). "The 1968/69 NATO Software Engineering Reports". Brian Randell's University Homepage. The School of the Computer Sciences, Newcastle University. Retrieved 2008-10-11. The idea for the first NATO Software Engineering Conference, and in particular that of adopting the then practically unknown term "software engineering" as its (deliberately provocative) title, I believe came originally from Professor Fritz Bauer.
  3. ^ Tedre, Matti (2009). "Computing as Engineering" (PDF). Journal of Universal Computer Science. 15 (8).
  4. ^ Hey, Programmers, We Got No Theory! Dr. Dobbs Journal, March 22, 2010 (Retrieved March 26, 2010)
  5. ^ Why We Need a Theory for Software Engineering, Ivar Jacobson and Ian Spence, Dr. Dobbs Journal, October 02, 2009 (Retrieved March 26, 2010)
  6. ^ McConnell, Steve (January/February 1998). "The Art, Science, and Engineering of Software Development". IEEE Software. 15 (1). {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b SWEBOK executive editors, Alain Abran, James W. Moore ; editors, Pierre Bourque, Robert Dupuis. (2004). Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge - 2004 Version. IEEE Computer Society. pp. 1–1. ISBN 0-7695-2330-7. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ The end of software engineering and the start of economic-cooperative gaming
  9. ^ 35 years on: to what extent has software engineering design achieved its goals?
  10. ^ Kalwarski, Tara (2006). "Best Jobs in America". MONEY Magazine. CNN. Retrieved 2006-04-20. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ Leondes (2002). intelligent systems: technology and applications. CRC Press. ISBN 9780849311215.
  12. ^ Dijkstra, E. W. (1968). "Go To Statement Considered Harmful" (PDF). Communications of the ACM. 11 (3): 147–148. doi:10.1145/362929.362947. Retrieved 2009-08-10. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  13. ^ Parnas, David (1972). "On the Criteria To Be Used in Decomposing Systems into Modules". Communications of the ACM. 15 (12): 1053–1058. doi:10.1145/361598.361623. Retrieved 2008-12-26. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  14. ^ Raymond, Eric S. The Cathedral and the Bazaar. ed 3.0. 2000.
  15. ^ Williams, N.S.W. (19–21 February 2001). "Professional Engineers Ontario's approach to licensing software engineering practitioners". Software Engineering Education and Training, 2001 Proceedings. 14th Conference on. Charlotte, NC: IEEE. pp. 77–78. {{cite conference}}: Unknown parameter |booktitle= ignored (|book-title= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ [1]
  17. ^ [2]
  18. ^ Software Engineering Code of Ethics
  19. ^ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, USDL 05-2145: Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2004, Table 1.
  20. ^ "Software Engineering". Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  21. ^ "Software Engineering Bill Rate". Retrieved 2010-08-30.
  22. ^ SEI certification page
  23. ^ Wyrostek, Warren (March 14, 2008). "The Top 10 Problems with IT Certification in 2008". InformIT. Retrieved 2009-03-03.
  24. ^ IEEE Computer Society. "2006 IEEE computer society report to the IFIP General Assembly" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  25. ^ IEEE. "CSDA". Retrieved 2010-04-20.
  26. ^ Canadian Information Processing Society. "I.S.P. Designation". Retrieved 2007-03-15.
  27. ^ ACM (July 17, 2000). "A Summary of the ACM Position on Software Engineering as a Licensed Engineering Profession" (PDF). Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Retrieved 2009-03-03. At its meeting in May 2000, the Council further concluded that the framework of a licensed professional engineer, originally developed for civil engineers, does not match the professional industrial practice of software engineering. Such licensing practices would give false assurances of competence even if the body of knowledge were mature; and would preclude many of the most qualified software engineers from becoming licensed.
  28. ^ As outsourcing gathers steam, computer science interest wanes
  29. ^ Computer Programmers
  30. ^ Software developer growth slows in North America | InfoWorld | News | 2007-03-13 | By Robert Mullins, IDG News Service
  31. ^ Gartner Magic Quadrant
  32. ^ SE2004 Software Engineering Curriculum
  33. ^ Ian Sommerville (2004). Software Engineering. 7th edition. Chapter 1. Bezien 20 Okt 2008.
  34. ^ Table 2 in Chapter 1,"Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge". February 6, 2004. Retrieved 2008-02-21.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Software engineering.

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