Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!sharkey!oxtrap!metavax!marc
From: marc@metavax.UUCP (Marc Paige)
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Re: Software Eng. vs Computer Sci.
Message-ID: <3909@metavax.UUCP>
Date: 21 Feb 89 19:34:44 GMT
References: <297@Intrepid.ece.ukans.edu>
Reply-To: marc@metavax.UUCP (Marc Paige)
Organization: Meta Systems, Ltd. -- Ann Arbor, MI
Lines: 24

This discussion is interesting.  I had the bulk of my under grad work at the
USAF Academy.  There the major was Comp Sci- Software Engineering.  Of the
classes that we were required to take, software life cycle maintaince was
THE class that everyone in the major had to take.  The class spanned two
semesters and involved a "real world problem" to be anylized and
implemented.  Our problem was the cadet clinic's paper explosion.  We used
several methodologies and learned all of them by representing the system in
each methology.  Once that was done, we used Yourdon's Managing the
Structured Techniques to pick the best analysis and start the
implementation.  We had data dictionaries and encyclopedias and DFD and HIPO
charts and the whole systems analysis acronym list!  In addition to this,
the life cycle of a software system was continually flashed in our faces.  I
guess that the academy is simply trying to build good managers and software
engineers, not technicians.  Oh, btw the class could only be taken in your
senior year.  It was assumed that you had had all of the rest of the
classes that would give you the skills to do the analysis.

So, that is one experience.  I think all the military academies have a
similar emphasis on software engineering (ie. managing) rather than on just
theory and programming.


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"tired and shagged out from a prolonged squawk" - mpfc the parrot sketch