INTRODUCTION
Introduction
The term software engineering first appeared in the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference
and was meant to provoke thought regarding the current "software crisis" at the time. Since then, it
has continued as a profession and field of study dedicated to creating software that is of higher
quality, more affordable, maintainable, and quicker to build. Since the field is still relatively young
compared to its sister fields of engineering, there is still much work and debate around what
software engineering actually is, and if it deserves the title engineering. It has grown organically
out of the limitations of viewing software as just programming. Software development is a term
sometimes preferred by practitioners in the industry who view software engineering as too heavy-
handed and constrictive to the malleable process of creating software. Yet, in spite of its youth as a
profession, the field's future looks bright as Money Magazine and Salary.com rated software
engineering as the best job in America in 2006.
, DEFINITIONS
•Software engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifi
approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the s
of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software.
• What is the difference between software engineering and computer science?
Essentially, computer science is concerned with the theories and methods w
underlie computers and software systems whereas software engineering
concerned with the practical problems of producing software..
System Engineering: System Engineering or more precisely computer based sys
engineering is concerned with all aspects of the development and evolutio
complex systems where software plays a major role. System engineerin
therefore concerned with hardware development policy and process design
system development as well as software engineering.
Introduction
The term software engineering first appeared in the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference
and was meant to provoke thought regarding the current "software crisis" at the time. Since then, it
has continued as a profession and field of study dedicated to creating software that is of higher
quality, more affordable, maintainable, and quicker to build. Since the field is still relatively young
compared to its sister fields of engineering, there is still much work and debate around what
software engineering actually is, and if it deserves the title engineering. It has grown organically
out of the limitations of viewing software as just programming. Software development is a term
sometimes preferred by practitioners in the industry who view software engineering as too heavy-
handed and constrictive to the malleable process of creating software. Yet, in spite of its youth as a
profession, the field's future looks bright as Money Magazine and Salary.com rated software
engineering as the best job in America in 2006.
, DEFINITIONS
•Software engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifi
approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the s
of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software.
• What is the difference between software engineering and computer science?
Essentially, computer science is concerned with the theories and methods w
underlie computers and software systems whereas software engineering
concerned with the practical problems of producing software..
System Engineering: System Engineering or more precisely computer based sys
engineering is concerned with all aspects of the development and evolutio
complex systems where software plays a major role. System engineerin
therefore concerned with hardware development policy and process design
system development as well as software engineering.
