On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 12:29:07AM -0400, Neil Van Dyke wrote: > Hendrik Boom wrote at 09/22/2011 08:16 PM: > >Software Engineering is the art of getting things done with large > >numbers of relatively stupid programmers -- because there aren't > >enough really good programmers. > > That certainly seems to be the predominant Java school of thought. :) > > I'm going to quibble with this use of the term "software > engineering", since I have somewhat different notions of the term, > which have been important to me. I'll admit in advance that my own > definitions are fuzzy here... > > Some of my earlier career, starting when I switched from being a > programmer kid with my own tiny software business, to a lowly intern > (below even Software Technician I, which itself was two big hops > below Software Engineer I), was on process and tools for critical > aerospace/datacomm/etc. software. So that was where my notion of > "software engineering" started. Closer to "how do we build > something necessarily complex that will do what is needed and work > properly" than "how do we get 40 clerical workers to code these 400 > data entry screens and 400 reports that we think we need". > > Most recently, in some of my consulting work, the flavor of software > engineering that I practice involves *small* numbers of smart > software developers, who use engineering discipline (and usually > Racket) to implement functionality in a way that will be reliable in > production and maintainable in the future, despite constraints > (time, resources, information, coordination, etc.). There is an > element of art to this, true. There's lots of analytic speculation > and balancing of concerns going on, in addition to applying accepted > best practices.
It sounds as if your group might actually succeed in getting something useful done. -- hendrik _________________________________________________ For list-related administrative tasks: http://lists.racket-lang.org/listinfo/users
