Re:Why are we so bad at software engineering?
by jinglebells on Friday February 14, 2020 @05:31AM
(#22325446)
I'm not sure it answers your question but in software, the requirements are almost never codified up front because extracting the rules is part of the project.
In terms of the dog-house, there's that rule "Build one to throw away". Since no two software projects are similar, the only way to truly know what you're building is to build it, see what works, throw it away, then build it properly.
Part of what makes software so good is that you _can_ upgrade the skyscraper while people are in it, metaphorically hardening floors or adding new levels.
Re:Why are we so bad at software engineering?
by jinglebells on Friday February 14, 2020 @05:35AM
(#22325462)
I think the software metaphor for your building codes is basically "Software coding standards and guidelines" and most large platforms will have them. For example https://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/seccodeguide-139067....
And yes, good software engineers are expected to know those practices.
Re:Why are we so bad at software engineering?
by tracker1 on Saturday February 15, 2020 @05:01AM
(#22334333)
Aerospace, higher end weapons systems and most medical hardware+software... It's usually when in conjunction with life/death physicality that these things come into play.
Unfortunately, the efforts on some of these systems are much harder to work through in practice than something created more organically.
That’s what my question is about!
Building engineer knows or reads N54.s-1e/624 “on public safety in a first floor lobby” to design it. It may specify various requirements like no sharp edges, glass walls need stripes on them, non-slippy floors, etc. Then when they need to add an electronic lock to all main entries, they contract with a seller whose locks are licensed with LS9-41.3/FLL. Then firefight inspection validates these entries for public safety again, involving standardized legal rules.
I don’t even try to describe the actual building from the ground to the concrete structure process, because that will be too naive. Lots of standards, requirements, ready-to-use plans, or a project approval process that requires half a year for a shallow review of all documents in many controlling departments.
What I’m interested in, is there such a level of engineering in software at all. I don’t know about anyone who did something like a regular building engineer does at the / before the construction site, but in software. Is there such a thing like Software Engineering at all? All popular software doesn’t seem to have signs of no-dog-house, when you read their code.