Software engineering: to be or what to be?

Abstract

This note reviews aspects of professionalism as related to computers, questions the structuring of responsibilities in software development, and commends subsuming overspecialized branches of engineering, such as Computer Systems Engineering and Software Engineering, within a more general discipline of Data Engineering.

References

1. [1] Donald J. Bagert (1998): Texas Poised to License Professional Engineers in Software Engineering. ACM Software Engineering Notes, Vol. 23, No. 3, May, pp. 8-10.
2. [2] W. Neville Holmes (1976): The Social Implications of the Australian Computer Society. The Australian Computer Journal, Vol. 6, No. 3, November, pp. 124-128.
3. [3] W. Neville Holmes (1998): Mitigating Microsoft with Virtual Consoles. IEEE Computer, Vol. 31, No. 7, July, pp. 105-106, 109.
4. [4] L. B. S. Raccoon (1991): Toward a Tradition of Software Engineering. ACM Software Engineering Notes, Vol. 23, No. 3, May, pp. 105-110.
5. [5] Mark Doernhoefer (ed. 1998): Surfing the Net for Software Engineering Notes. ACM Software Engineering Notes, Vol. 23, No. 3, May, pp. 13-19.
6. [6] Gerald L. Engel and Richard J. LeBlanc (1998): Draft Accreditation Criteria for Software Engineering. ACM Software Engineering Notes, Vol. 23, No. 3, May, pp. 11-12.
7. [7] W. Neville Holmes (1974): Data Engineering. In the Proceedings of the Conference on Computers in Engineering, The Institution of Engineers, Australia, Sydney, May 16-17, 1974, pp. 111-115.

Index Terms

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Computing profession

      • Codes of ethics

• Software and its engineering