StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

How software engineering differs from other fields of engineering - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
Software engineering and other engineering fields Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Introduction Software engineering is the discipline covering the study and the application of engineering towards software development. The discipline can be traced to the 1960s – particularly with reference to the NATO software Engineering conference, which was held to explore and provoke exploration of study about the perceived software crisis of that time (Sommerville, 2008)…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.2% of users find it useful
How software engineering differs from other fields of engineering
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "How software engineering differs from other fields of engineering"

Download file to see previous pages

The concept is applied with reference to engineering and computer science principles and practices, when exploring the development, operability and the maintenance of software systems. This paper will explore the aspects that differentiate software from other fields of engineering like mechanical and electrical engineering. The paper will also discuss the specific characteristics of the ‘software’ product, which differentiate the field from other engineering domains. The differences between software engineering and other traditional engineering disciplines The field of software engineering, unlike other traditional fields of engineering, can be traced to the growth in the field of computing and information technology.

The growth in the field of computing and information technology has prompted the tremendous growth of the field of software engineering (Ghezzi, Jazayeri and Mandrioli, 2003). On the other hand, other fields of engineering can be traced to the development and the growth of respective fields of study and practice, and not necessarily the field of computing and information technology (Sommerville, 2008). . erent from traditional engineering disciplines, in that many of the other fields of engineering – including civil, chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineering – can be traced to the discrete application of mathematical basements.

On the other hand, software engineering can be traced to the application of technical computer and mathematical science principles, which resulted from the need of maintaining and improving software systems (Ghezzi, Jazayeri and Mandrioli, 2003). This difference shows that the field depends, mainly, on the principles of discrete mathematics, particularly that related to logic (Jones, 1995). Software engineering is different from traditional engineering fields, in that many of the engineers practicing these other fields construct real artifacts, but software engineers construct virtual/ abstract artifacts.

This points out that the products developed by software engineers may not be subjected to the evaluation and the testing which is relevant to those produced by the engineering practicing in the traditional fields. Additionally, traditional engineering fields are mature fields incorporating continuous mathematics and physical sciences, but software engineering is more immature, and reliant on discrete mathematics and computer sciences (Herbsleb and Goldenson, 1996). In traditional engineering, there are two major concerns about the products produced, including the costs of production and the reliability of the product, which is a function of time and failure (Jalote, 2005).

On the other hand, in software engineering, the main concerns related to the products developed include the costs of development and the reliability of the virtual product, which is a function of the number of errors noted for every thousand lines of the source

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“How software engineering differs from other fields of engineering Essay”, n.d.)
How software engineering differs from other fields of engineering Essay. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1498676-how-software-engineering-differs-from-other-fields
(How Software Engineering Differs from Other Fields of Engineering Essay)
How Software Engineering Differs from Other Fields of Engineering Essay. https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1498676-how-software-engineering-differs-from-other-fields.
“How Software Engineering Differs from Other Fields of Engineering Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/information-technology/1498676-how-software-engineering-differs-from-other-fields.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF How software engineering differs from other fields of engineering

Answer 8 questions

Five cloud computing tools that are available on Google a) Google Docs: the users now have the advantage of opening, creating, editing, saving, and sharing of Microsoft Office and Open Office files besides RTF, HTML, text files through Google docs platform b) drop box: whatever we save to the folder is synchronized to Drop Box account on the Web, phone and other computers.... It is very useful technology while transferring data/information from one device to another device or from one device to so many devices near to each other (Official Play Station Website)....
3 Pages (750 words) Assignment

Graduate Employability

For example, two hundred and ninety-five thousand and two hundred jobs (representing 27 percent of the new STEM jobs) will be in software engineering (Scott, 2012).... This is because these professional occupations further knowledge and skills gained through the study of Computer Science, software engineering and Information Systems.... Information Technology is a broad field of study that encompasses Computer Science, software engineering and Information Systems....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Advanced Business Process Management

IT may consist of computers, computer network, and telephones; fax machines & other pieces of hardware.... usiness Process Redesign, Business Transformation, or Business Process Change Management is other titles of BPR.... The key motive of BPR (Business Process Reengineering) from a "clean slate" focuses and determines how they can best construct these processes to improve conducting their business.... IT involves software that facilitates the systems ability to manage information in a way that is useful for the organization....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Widespread Implementation of Information Systems within Business

The research paper is aimed to investigate the main driven theories, values, and assumptions that are shaping a usage of IS in process management from the 1990s to present, and examine the influence of process management on the degree of IS implementation within business.... Added to this is the input from those who actually practice administration or management, giving us a “real world” perspective.... from a process management perspective, an information system is an organizational and man¬agement solution, based on information technology, to a challenge posed by the environment....
12 Pages (3000 words) Research Paper

Gender, Social Exclusion and Technology

to her own gender and to the other gender.... Constructionism, on the other hand, looks at gender characteristics as a component of the actions and acts of the individual, extrinsic to the individual.... nbsp; from this perspective, the gender qualities cannot be said to be based on biological sex.... When gender is viewed in this perspective, it is not some genetic traits or roles that we possess biologically, but is rather a output of social influence that is manifested by what we do or how we behave....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

The Impact of Information Technologies on Business Process

IT may consist of computers, computer networks, and telephones; fax machines & other pieces of hardware.... IT involves software that facilitates the system's ability to manage information in a way that is useful for the organization.... Thus, once an organization makes a decision to enhance the quality of products & services, it must then decide how to implement them.... Using this system, the company can identify how a given product or product line is selling in a number of stores over any meaningful period of time....
8 Pages (2000 words) Case Study

Benefits of Various Software Engineering

The paper "Benefits of Various software engineering" highlights that we always need to understand and acknowledge the larger issues of and specific approaches to project management, metrics collection, quality assurance, risk management, testing, and configuration management.... Describe THOUGHTFULLY how you learned to understand the differences and benefits of various software engineering lifecycle methodologies.... By understanding the differences and benefits of various software engineering lifecycle methodologies we can be able to evaluate the advantages and problems in initiating a new system development project....
8 Pages (2000 words) Assignment

Information Resource Management

It is frequently known as the intersection of behavioral sciences, computer science, design and numerous other fields of study.... hellip; From this paper, it is clear that software engineering (SE) refers to the maintaining and developing software systems that perform reliably as well as efficiently.... software engineering (SE) refers to the maintaining and developing software systems that perform reliably as well as efficiently.... The SDLC (systems development life cycle) the life cycle of software development is employed in systems engineering and software engineering, which is the procedure for modifying and creating systems, methods, and models....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us