the nature of software

software delivers the most important product of our time, information

defining software

changes introduces errors

software application domains

system software

  • service other programs
  • process complex tasks
  • compilers and editors
  • usually get determinate data
  • OSs and networking software
  • usually get unstructured data

application software

  • stand alone programs
  • solves a business problem
  • process business and technical data

engineering/scientific software

  • data science programs
  • analyzing numbers and graphs
  • used in automotive stress testing, astronomy, volcano-logy
  • used in generic analysis and meteorology

embedded software

  • resides other programs
  • used in systems to control functions and features for user and system itself
  • doing both simple and complex tasks

product-line software

  • composed of reusable parts.
  • Designed to provide capabilities used by many customers.
  • used for limited tasks like inventory control.

web/mobile applications

  • wide verity of programs
  • network centeric
  • browser based, cloud computing

artificial intelligence

  • solving complex problems that doesn’t resolve by normal approaches
  • make use of heuristics to solve complex problemas

it’s not uncommon to work on software that is older than yourself

defining the discipline

the application of systematic, disciplines, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software; that is, the application of engineering to software.

software engineering layers

the bedrock that supports software engineering is a quality focus. the foundation for software engineering is the process layer. methods provides the technical how-to’s for building software. tools provide automated or semi-automated support for the process and methods.

the software process

collection of works that must be done to finish a work. SE is an adoptable approach.

The process framework

a process framework is foundation of SE. it defines a small number of activies that are aplicable to any SP, huge or small and used across the entire SP.

There are (usually) 5 general activities

  • communication

Before anything, discussions must happen with stakeholders to understand the product objectives, features and functions

  • planning
    a software engineering plan, defines technical task that must be conducted, risks that are likely, requariments that must be fullfiled, products that must be produced and schedules.

  • Modeling
    Helps us better understand the problem and find solutions.

  • Construction
    Build what you modeled. It involves both generating and testing code.

  • Deployment
    Software as an entity, must be delivred to customer and receive feedback.

These can be used for any kind of software project. These activities repeats and each complete repeat produces a software increment.

Umbrella Activities

help the team to manage control, progress, change, risk.

Typically include…

  • software project tracking and control

  • risk management

  • software quality assurance

  • technical reviews

  • measurement
    collects process, project and product measures that assist the team in delivering software that meets needs.

  • software configuration management
    manages effects of changes

  • re-usability management

  • work product preparation and production

process adaption

Software process is different among different teams and projects.

software engineering practice

the essence of practice from the old book how to solve it

  • understand the problem (communication and analysis)
  • plan a solution (modeling and design)
  • carry out the plan (code generation)
  • examine the result for accuracy (testing and quality assurance)

Hooker’s software engineering principles

  1. the reason it all exists
    a software exist to provide value to its users

  2. KISS (keep it simple stupid)
    result of it is a more maintainable and error-prone software

  3. maintain the vision
    a clear vision is essential

  4. what you produce, other will consume
    Don’t give them reason to curse you!

  5. be open to the future
    keep asking yourself “what if” be prepared for answer

  6. plan ahead for reuse reusable parts decreases expenses and overhead for future people but increases them for current state.

  7. Think!

How it all starts

Every software project exitst to serve a need.
Need to adapt a legacy system, need to deliver a new feature, need to change business environment and etc.

Book’s Table of Contents: TOC

Thanks for reading; please let me know what do you think.
Good luck.