Derek I suspect a shorter term for "non-evidence based software engineering" is dogma!
As a trained and indentured aeronautical engineer and a long term practising software and systems designer I am continually appalled at the continual re-invention of the same wheels and the ignorance and avoidance of the empirical base of knowledge that has been built up over the years. I guess that this is partially down to the continual reinvention of software engineering - often through yet another dogmatic panacea such as OO, CDB, agile, etc - and the need for the adherents of the brave new discipline to boldly ignore all of the good from the blasphemers of the older approaches. Some of this is due to the lack of codification of the empirical results such that others can benefit from the experience, which I accept. However, there are too many "new brooms" sweeping the software world with too many commercial and - dare I say it - academic agendas for folk to have the chance to handle this codification. Patterns are a start but, from a practical perspective, no more than a first step. Sorry for the rant but I feel very strongly about this and see a real need for evidence-based software engineering - as long as it does not see itself as another overly assertive, dogmatic panacea. Carl Chilley (feeling like an industrial "grey beard") -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Derek M Jones Sent: 11 January 2005 12:15 To: David Budgen Cc: [email protected] Subject: PPIG discuss: Re: PPIG announce: ICSE: Evidence-based Software Engineering David, It can be argued that software engineering can only advance towards being an engineering discipline by moving away from its current dependency upon advocacy and analysis, and by employing more systematic empirically-based approaches to developing an understanding of what works, why and under what conditions? This view is one that complements the overall ICSE theme It can be argued? Where's your spirit? You should have said something along the lines of: "The only way academic software engineering will be taken seriously by industry is if proposed theories and models are based on experimentally verified results..." An interesting choice of title. What is a shorter term for "non-evidence based software engineering"? Religion? derek -- Derek M Jones tel: +44 (0) 1252 520 667 Knowledge Software Ltd mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Applications Standards Conformance Testing http://www.knosof.co.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PPIG Discuss List ([email protected]) Discuss admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss Announce admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/announce PPIG Discuss archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40ppig.org/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PPIG Discuss List ([email protected]) Discuss admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss Announce admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/announce PPIG Discuss archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40ppig.org/
