Re: Who gets higher salary a Java Programmer or a C++ Programmer?
On Nov 27, 3:58 am, LR <lr...@superlink.net> wrote:
Gennaro Prota wrote:
LR wrote:
We might be having a problem around the term "principle". If you
refer to scientific principles (laws) such as Archimedes'
principle or the law of conservation of energy then, of course,
they aren't "applied to the development of software".
"Therefore it is not 'engineering'", you are saying? Fine, it's
a terminology problem: you might call it software-ology, for
instance. However "software engineering" is used by an engineer
association with an agreed upon meaning.
So if it's defined that way, then that's what it is?
It's of course more about methodology ("systematic,
disciplined, quantifiable") than scientific principles.
I wonder why the definition of what engineering is seems to
have changed.
It's not changed. The concept engineering includes many
aspects; he's just accenting a different one.
The _American Heritage Dictionary_ gives:
The application of scientific and mathematical principles to
practical ends such as the design, manufacture, and
operation of efficient and economical structures, machines,
processes, and systems.
That certainly covers software engineering. The term
"scientific and mathematical principles" is broad, and covers a
lot more than just physical laws like Archimedes' principle. Or
even mathematical proofs of programs. The entire sentence above
makes it clear that it also applies to the process, for example.
Every good shop I've seen makes extensive use of statistics, for
example, in evaluating their process. And controlled testing,
which is the basis of all scientific methodology. And code
review, which is a form of peer-review such as is used in all
scientific journals. Software engineering is all about the
"design [...] of efficient and economical [...] systems", using
"scientific and mathematical principles" in a practical way.
You can't get more "engineering" than that.
--
James Kanze (GABI Software) email:james.kanze@gmail.com
Conseils en informatique orient=E9e objet/
Beratung in objektorientierter Datenverarbeitung
9 place S=E9mard, 78210 St.-Cyr-l'=C9cole, France, +33 (0)1 30 23 00 34