Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!mcnc!rti!ntpdvp1!willr
From: willr@ntpdvp1.UUCP (Will Raymond)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: recap so far
Summary: Software Engineering involves two components: manipulating software &
	 understanding the task to be accomplished
Message-ID: <595@ntpdvp1.UUCP>
Date: 28 Jun 90 01:54:04 GMT
References: <30852@cup.portal.com> <102100011@p.cs.uiuc.edu> <8488@jpl-devvax.JPL.NASA.GOV>
Organization: Northern Telecom DMS-10 Div., Raleigh, NC
Lines: 27


	In all the conversations so far, I've yet to see anyone mention learning
	the task you are trying to program.  I am in the end days of a fairly com
	plex project, writing a "user friendly (!?)" front-end to a DMS10
	telephone switch. 

	My shop has a good repetoire of C routines, and we generally use them.
	In some respects, we assembled the software from off the shelf components.

	Half the time I've spent on this project ( 1 of 5 programmers spending
	28 weeks ) has been learning the switch.  The switch is essentially a
	single purpose computer with 1.8 Megs. of executable written over a
	15 year period.  Our Technology group produced dozens of conflicting input
	and output formats for switch commands, the documentation of which 
	encompasses 5 binders and 4,500 pages.  

	15 years of incremental programming produced many inconsistencies, both in
	software and documentation.

	The up shot, adapting our product to the switch took a long time not
	because we couldn't assemble code from reliable building blocks, but
	because we had to learn and relearn the task.


	Will

	"Because I care...." Dr. Moreau