Xref: utzoo comp.object:3283 comp.software-eng:5429 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!hwcs!styri From: styri@cs.hw.ac.uk (Yu No Hoo) Newsgroups: comp.object,comp.software-eng Subject: Re: Documenting OO Systems Message-ID: <2796@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk> Date: 22 Apr 91 02:48:58 GMT References: <3201:Apr705:40:4591@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <1991Apr16.124522.16592@dg-rtp.dg.com> Sender: news@cs.hw.ac.uk Organization: Computer Science, Heriot-Watt U., Scotland Lines: 42 wrote: > Every working definition of ``engineering'' appears to exclude computer > science. I really don't know. Isn't this statement kind of ... conclusive? I don't it's a true statement. In article <1991Apr16.124522.16592@dg-rtp.dg.com> cole@farmhand.rtp.dg.com (Bill Cole) writes: > > [...] If we were strictly engineers, >we could down a catalog of routines and, by cleverly sticking them >together, build a program. Each programmer has a catalog of routines >they've either learned or built, it's true, and you could argue that >this constitutes a form of engineering catalog that EEs or CEs use to >build computers or buildings. The difference is that programmers are >tasked to build new components if they can't find one in the own catalog >of program components. How many CEs build bridges out of self-designed >components? I guess there are some CEs out there that would be offended by the above statement. If the last sentence was rewritten to the EE domain it would be equally untrue. Even if the statement was true it implies a very narrow definition of engineering. Maybe we need to define the words 'engineer' and 'engineering' before claiming that 'software engineering' is a contradiction. A very important part of an engineers work is to transform plans/requirements to product in a systematic manner. I see no reason for excluding the software engineer at this point. To be able to do his/her work the engineer must be able to communicate both wih fellow engineers and people from other professions. This is also true for the software engineer. However, software engineers do have a problem when it comes to standards and metrics. It's my personal opinion that producing software should be no different from producing cars. But state of art in software engineering is probably pre-Ford compared to the car industry. ---------------------- Haakon Styri Dept. of Comp. Sci. ARPA: styri@cs.hw.ac.uk Heriot-Watt University X-400: C=gb;PRMD=uk.ac;O=hw;OU=cs;S=styri Edinburgh, Scotland