Re: Ada, Software Engineering and "weirdoes" (was License to Steal)

["Peter Richtmyer" <pmr@efortress.com>]

"Kevin Rigotti" <rigotti@atc.dera.gov.uk> wrote in message
news:9cbk4a$que$1@trog.dera.gov.uk...
>
> Peter Richtmyer wrote in message ...
> >
> >There seems to be quite some controversy as to whether there is such
> >a thing as "Software Engineering".

Kevin Said
>
> There certainly is here in the UK, I'm registered as a Chartered Engineer.
>

> Minimum requirements for CEng are essentially a Masters degree in
> engineering and four years appropriate training and experience.
Engineering
> exams and the professional bodies here have requirements common to all
> disciplines (project management, engineering maths, relevant law, etc) so
I
> would consider myself as much an engineer as anyone producing a more
> physical product.
>
> If you want a bridge over your garden pond then a local builder will do,
but
> if it has to cross a river and carry a motorway then you need an Engineer.
> The same applies to software.
>

The point is that it is said that there is such a thing as "Engineering".
I can not describe what Engineering is for you, but it has certain
principles,
etc.

And there are things like "Bridges", "Software", etc.

I think that there is something called Civil Engineering that applies the
disciplines
of Engineering to building stuff like bridges. But there is no body of
discipline
of Engineering that is really Engineering that is Software Engineering,
that can be used to write programs. Programming is still a "craft".

Just because I call something "Bacon and Eggs Engineering" when I make
breakfast does not mean it is really "Engineering". Even if I give training
to people
in creating bacon and eggs, give tests on making bacon and eggs, and
charge people money for a certificate of Bacon and Eggs Engineering does not
make it "Engineering". (As I understand it   :-)

I can not find the article. I think it was by Don Gray (Grey?) called
"Software and Society" and I got it off Jerry Weinberg's web site (which I
can
not find - the site I found for him is not the same.)  I may have the
article at
work so check back here tomorrow.


> "Jeffrey Carter" <jeffrey.carter@boeing.com> wrote ...
> > There's no easy way to determine if someone is a coder or part of that
> > 2%.
> Aren't there MEng degrees in software engineering in the States?
>
Yes - but (according to the argument) it is not "Engineering". Calling
an 8 year-old Boy a "Man" does not make him a Man.    :-)

> Kevin
> ----
> ATC Systems Group, DERA, St Andrews Road, Malvern, Worcestershire, UK
> Phone +44 (0)1684 89 69 11, fax +44(0)1684 89 41 09
> DERA disclaimers and restrictions apply, details on request
>
>
>