From: billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu (William Thomas Wolfe, 2847 )
Subject: Re: Programming vs. Software Engineering
Date: 22 Mar 90 17:02:04 GMT [thread overview]
Message-ID: <8462@hubcap.clemson.edu> (raw)
In-Reply-To: 1990Mar21.232702.20713@comm.WANG.COM
From lws@comm.WANG.COM (Lyle Seaman):
[Note: I have removed the inappropriate comp.lang.c newsgroup]
> billwolf%hazel.cs.clemson.edu@hubcap.clemson.edu writes:
>> counterpart. This is despite the fact that STANFINS-R had to take
>> raw COBOL programmers and train them to be Ada Software Engineers,
>
> In my experience, the terms programmer and software engineer conjure up
> two entirely different worlds of practice. I can't imagine training
> a programmer to be a software engineer (much less a Software Engineer)
> in anything like the amount of time spent of STANFINS-R.
Then consider the following descriptions of the STANFINS-R experience:
Claton J. Hornung, Senior Software Specialist and Project Manager,
Computer Sciences Corporation:
It was determined that COBOL programmers who had never worked
with a structured programming language such as Ada... had
preconcieved notions about Ada and a strong religious devotion
to the COBOL way of design and programming.... The training
demonstrated that concepts discussed in terms of a COBOL
programmer facilitated the mind set transition. After this
experience the programmers became more receptive to new ideas
and appreciated the new found power of Ada and associated
software engineering concepts.
Many students demonstrated a lack of fundamental understanding
in the basic concepts of data structures and basic design. Not
only did training have to focus on these concepts, but it became
necessary to focus on software engineering principles and goals
as well.
Kenneth Fussichen, Computer Scientist, Computer Sciences Corporation:
The promise of Ada that attracts the MIS [practitioner] is the
promise of maintainability. Virtually every other major software
engineering principle pales in its image. Maintenance is such an
expensive chore that if it can be practically overcome, Ada would
be assimilated quickly by the MIS [world]. Preliminary findings
indicate that our Ada implementation may be significantly more
maintainable than its COBOL predecessors [i.e., previous versions
of STANFINS which had been written in COBOL]....
The aggregate level of learning for [STANFINS-R project members]
is among the highest I've ever seen. More [project members]
attend classes in the evening, write professional papers, belong
to professional organizations and book clubs than any other [project]
I've seen. The knowledge of Software Engineering principles is the
highest of any [project in which] I've participated.
So I think it *is* possible, and STANFINS-R does support that contention.
Bill Wolfe, wtwolfe@hubcap.clemson.edu
next prev parent reply other threads:[~1990-03-22 17:02 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 10+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
[not found] <19450@grebyn.com>
1990-03-10 20:35 ` Ted Holden's disinformation William Thomas Wolfe, 2847
1990-03-12 15:58 ` Wayne Wood
1990-03-12 19:36 ` dennis.f.meyer
1990-03-21 23:27 ` Lyle Seaman
1990-03-22 17:02 ` William Thomas Wolfe, 2847 [this message]
1990-03-23 16:45 ` Programming vs. Software Engineering Chip Salzenberg
1990-03-24 6:32 ` Paul S. R. Chisholm
1990-03-24 17:03 ` William Thomas Wolfe, 2847
1990-03-26 20:30 ` Archer Sully
1990-03-27 15:54 ` Richard S D'Ippolito
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