From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.3 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00,INVALID_MSGID autolearn=no autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit X-Google-Thread: 103376,bf72ca9e8a6b3cf X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public From: Richard D Riehle Subject: Re: Engineering & Software Engineering Date: 1999/11/08 Message-ID: <806v5t$kc6$1@nntp2.atl.mindspring.net>#1/1 X-Deja-AN: 545965577 References: <1e0rgtb.6j187t1hibcsaN@[209.132.126.64]> <7vv26t$tju$1@nnrp1.deja.com> <804plo$dvs$1@nntp5.atl.mindspring.net> Organization: MindSpring Enterprises X-Server-Date: 8 Nov 1999 16:53:17 GMT Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada Date: 1999-11-08T16:53:17+00:00 List-Id: In article , "M." wrote: >Richard D Riehle wrote in message >>Every engineering practice >>includes some kind of design metrics. Software practice may proceed >>oblivious to any notion of design metrics. > >I'm in trouble then, because I'm an engineering intern and still oblivous to >"design metrics". Is there another term for the concept? Let's take mechanical engineering as an example. When one designs a piece of machinery, it is always designed to some tolerances. You could say that you design to "snugness of fit." Even a simple bolt and nut are specified at the same TPI. A camshaft, a piston, the compression ratio of your engine, all are measurable. They all behave according to the laws of physics. Coefficient of friction is real. We can measure the viscosity of liquids and plan for their behavior in a design. We can regulate the flow of electricity according to some published specifications. Over and over in physical engineering we can apply what I call "design metrics". The reason you never see the term in conventional engineering is that it is inherent in the design process. The reason you never see a term like it in software engineering is that it is almost non-existent. I say almost because we do have some opportunities for design metrics but they are rarely used. So, as an engineering intern, you are using design metrics. It's just that no one feels it necessary to explicitly use the term. Who was it that said, "I was writing prose all my life and didn't even know it." Richard Riehle http://www.adaworks.com