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Xref: utzoo comp.lang.ada:961 comp.lang.c:7181
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!bellcore!decvax!ucbvax!husc6!linus!raybed2!rgc
From: rgc@raybed2.UUCP (RICK CARLE)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.c
Subject: Re: Computer aided s/w engineering
Summary: Software Engineering is more than tools
Keywords: CASE
Message-ID: <1122@raybed2.UUCP>
Date: 12 Feb 88 15:46:05 GMT
References: <1043@pembina.UUCP> <40529@sun.uucp> <2703@mmintl.UUCP>
Distribution: na
Organization: Raytheon Co., Bedford, Mass.
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

In article <2703@mmintl.UUCP>, franka@mmintl.UUCP (Frank Adams) writes:
> A better definition of Software Engineering might be "tools & techniques for
> the design of computer programs".  It should be obvious that one can do
> program design without ever touching a computer.

But that too is a narrow definition of software engineering.  It is MUCH,
MUCH more than tools & techniques.
Software engineering is the application of computer science to build,
maintain, and manage software systems that solve control or
information-processing problems.  It is (or must become) an engineering
discipline, based in science and structured technique, that addresses
the complete software development process and software life-cycle
concerns.  Barry Boehm provided us with a useful definition:

	"Software engineering is the application of science and
	mathematics by which the capabilities of computer equipment
	are made useful to man via computer programs, procedures, and
	associated documentation."
	(Software Engineering Economics, Barry W. Boehm, Prentice-Hall,
	1981)

Rick Carle, Raytheon Co., rgc@raybed2.RAY.COM