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The objective of this session is to introduce the subject of software engineering. When you have read this session you will understand what software engineering is and why it is important, know the answers to key questions which provide an introduction to software engineering, understand ethical and professional issues which are important for software engineers.

Introduction

Virtually all countries now depend on complex computer-based systems. More and more products incorporate computers and controlling software in some form. The software in these systems represents a large and increasing proportion of the total system costs. Therefore, producing software in a cost-effective way is essential for the functioning of national and international economies.

Software engineering is an engineering discipline whose goal is the cost-effective development of software systems. Software is abstract and intangible. It is not constrained by materials, governed by physical laws or by manufacturing processes. In some ways, this simplifies software engineering as there are no physical limitations on the potential of software. In other ways, however, this lack of natural constraints means that software can easily become extremely complex and hence very difficult to understand.

Software engineering is still a relatively young discipline. The notion of ‘software engineering’ was first proposed in 1968 at a conference held to discuss what was then called the ‘software crisis’. This software crisis resulted directly from the introduction of powerful, third generation computer hardware. Their power made hitherto unrealisable computer applications a feasible proposition. The resulting software was orders of magnitude larger and more complex than previous software systems.

Early experience in building these systems showed that an informal approach to software development was not good enough. Major projects were sometimes years late. They cost much more than originally predicted, were unreliable, difficult to maintain and performed poorly. Software development was in crisis. Hardware costs were tumbling whilst software costs were rising rapidly. New techniques and methods were needed to control the complexity inherent in large software systems.

These techniques have become part of software engineering and are now widely although not universally used. However, there are still problems in producing complex software which meets user expectations, is delivered on time and to budget. Many software projects still have problems and this has led to some commentators (Pressman, 1997) suggesting that software engineering is in a state of chronic affliction.

As our ability to produce software has increased so too has the complexity of the software systems required. New technologies resulting from the convergence of computers and communication systems place new demands on software engineers. For this reason and because many companies do not apply software engineering techniques effectively, we still have problems. Things are not as bad as the doomsayers suggest but there is clearly room for improvement.

Questions & Answers

find the equation of the tangent to the curve y=2x³-x²+3x+1 at the points x=1 and x=3
Esther Reply
derivative of logarithms function
Iqra Reply
how to solve this question
sidra
ex 2.1 question no 11
khansa
anyone can help me
khansa
question please
Rasul
ex 2.1 question no. 11
khansa
i cant type here
khansa
Find the derivative of g(x)=−3.
Abdullah Reply
any genius online ? I need help!!
Guzorochi Reply
how can i help you?
Pina
need to learn polynomial
Zakariya
i will teach...
nandu
I'm waiting
Zakariya
plz help me in question
Abish
How can I help you?
Tlou
evaluate the following computation (x³-8/x-2)
Murtala Reply
teach me how to solve the first law of calculus.
Uncle Reply
teach me also how to solve the first law of calculus
Bilson
what is differentiation
Ibrahim Reply
only god knows😂
abdulkadir
f(x) = x-2 g(x) = 3x + 5 fog(x)? f(x)/g(x)
Naufal Reply
fog(x)= f(g(x)) = x-2 = 3x+5-2 = 3x+3 f(x)/g(x)= x-2/3x+5
diron
pweding paturo nsa calculus?
jimmy
how to use fundamental theorem to solve exponential
JULIA Reply
find the bounded area of the parabola y^2=4x and y=16x
Omar Reply
what is absolute value means?
Geo Reply
Chicken nuggets
Hugh
🐔
MM
🐔🦃 nuggets
MM
(mathematics) For a complex number a+bi, the principal square root of the sum of the squares of its real and imaginary parts, √a2+b2 . Denoted by | |. The absolute value |x| of a real number x is √x2 , which is equal to x if x is non-negative, and −x if x is negative.
Ismael
find integration of loge x
Game Reply
find the volume of a solid about the y-axis, x=0, x=1, y=0, y=7+x^3
Godwin Reply
how does this work
Brad Reply
Can calculus give the answers as same as other methods give in basic classes while solving the numericals?
Cosmos Reply
log tan (x/4+x/2)
Rohan
please answer
Rohan
y=(x^2 + 3x).(eipix)
Claudia
is this a answer
Ismael
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Source:  OpenStax, Software engineering. OpenStax CNX. Jul 29, 2009 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10790/1.1
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