You are Not a Software Engineer • Hacker News Board

Re: You are Not a Software Engineer

#11

Post by kunjaan » Thu, May 05, 2011, 11:39 AM UTC

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #5

Considering that I have a degree specifically in Software Engineering, I think I'm quite justified in calling myself a Software Engineer. If you feel universities aren't justified in graduating students as Software Engineers, then that's something that you should take up with the Dept of Education and various other groups regarding accreditation guidelines. My point being that just because building software is not as…

Can you please provide a link to the course syllabus?

Re: You are Not a Software Engineer

#12

Post by nuclear_eclipse » Thu, May 05, 2011, 12:10 PM UTC

kunjaan wrote: post #11

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #5

Considering that I have a degree specifically in Software Engineering, I think I'm quite justified in calling myself a Software Engineer. If you feel universities aren't justified in graduating students as Software Engineers, then that's something that you should take up with the Dept of Education and various other groups regarding accreditation guidelines. My point being that just because building software is not as…

Can you please provide a link to the course syllabus?

General degree website: http://www.se.rit.edu/

Curriculum overview: http://www.se.rit.edu/?q=node/239

Re: You are Not a Software Engineer

#13

Post by acangiano » Thu, May 05, 2011, 12:36 PM UTC

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #5

Considering that I have a degree specifically in Software Engineering, I think I'm quite justified in calling myself a Software Engineer. If you feel universities aren't justified in graduating students as Software Engineers, then that's something that you should take up with the Dept of Education and various other groups regarding accreditation guidelines. My point being that just because building software is not as…

Considering that even stay at home parents are considered "Engineers" (i.e., Domestic Engineers), I say you're perfectly justified in using that title.

Re: You are Not a Software Engineer

#14

Post by pavel_lishin » Thu, May 05, 2011, 6:22 PM UTC

I have a question. It's a short question - just two words, and no question marks.

Space shuttle.

Re: You are Not a Software Engineer

#15

Post by pavel_lishin » Thu, May 05, 2011, 6:23 PM UTC

acangiano wrote: post #13

nuclear_eclipse wrote: post #5

Considering that I have a degree specifically in Software Engineering, I think I'm quite justified in calling myself a Software Engineer. If you feel universities aren't justified in graduating students as Software Engineers, then that's something that you should take up with the Dept of Education and various other groups regarding accreditation guidelines. My point being that just because building software is not as…

Considering that even stay at home parents are considered "Engineers" (i.e., Domestic Engineers), I say you're perfectly justified in using that title.

Considered by whom, exactly? House-moms and -dads angry that their efforts are underappreciated? Great, I'll make sure that our Office Supply Engineer (we call her a receptionist) sends 'em a card.

Re: You are Not a Software Engineer

#16

Post by pavel_lishin » Thu, May 05, 2011, 6:24 PM UTC

garyrichardson wrote: post #6

tjr wrote: post #2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DO-178B

There are far more coders working for companies where no one dies if they code has defects. The article argues that most programmers are not engineers. At least I draw that conclusion.

It seems to argue that everyone is not an engineer.

Re: You are Not a Software Engineer

#17

Post by pavel_lishin » Thu, May 05, 2011, 6:26 PM UTC

heat_miser wrote: post #9

Gardens have elements that are impossible to control so gardeners have to deal with randomness. With code, there is no randomness, the outcome of a piece of software will be exactly what people have written, down to the microcode, it is completely predictable. In many ways software engineers are more engineers than civil, because we completely control our environment. Maybe your organization is out of control, but yo…

> With code, there is no randomness,

... unless your software deals with input from humans.

> the outcome of a piece of software will be exactly what people have written, down to the microcode, it is completely predictable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halting_problem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Busy_Beaver

Re: You are Not a Software Engineer

#18

Post by sn » Fri, May 06, 2011, 2:20 AM UTC

This is a bogus comparison. The difference between software engineering and other types of engineering is that for software, the detailed design is the implementation. For other engineering, several months or more of design and simulation occur these days before a single device/bridge/airplane is built. If you asked the engineers at the beginning exactly how many transistors this chip was going to use, or how many kgs of concrete/metal/etc., they wouldn't know the answer yet either.

I am going through and profiling code, analyzing memory requirements etc. before selecting new hardware. And then we prototype before finalizing the design. If that isn't engineering I don't know what is.