Software Engineering
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Software Engineering should not be confused with computer programming.Computer Programming is an art. To be a computer programmer, all you have to do is to be able to sit at a computer terminal and, with no more than a rough idea about what you are trying to achieve, start typing code. Usually in C. The result of this process is a bug-ridden piece of software that bears little resemblance to the customers' requirements and is held together with numerous patches and upgrades.Software Engineering is a science. To be a Software Engineer, you have to have years of training, be up to date with the latest analysis and design techniques and be able to express ideas in writing and pictorially using state of the art Computer Aided Software Engineering tools. Once a product has been thoroughly analysed and a design has been produced, it is reviewed by other Software Engineers, reworked, documented and quality assured. Only then can a team of engineers start working on the coding process. Each piece of code is also documented and reviewed before being integrated into the final product. This is then tested with reference to the customer's original specifications before being delivered.
The result of this process is a bug-ridden piece of software that bears little resemblance to the customers' requirements and is held together with numerous patches and upgrades. Only you don't get paid
as much.
The result of this process is a bug-ridden piece of software that bears little resemblance to the customers' requirements and is held together with numerous patches and upgrades. Only you don't get paid
as much.
