What happened to software? Why is there so few creative software (2010)? Are we at the end of software? What are the forces which led to this situation, looking like a bit step backward to the epoch of non-programmable accounting machines? Is there a way out of this situation? Yes, and a very simple one: make good software. With invention. Developing models and abstractions. It is difficult but absolutely possible. It this re-start of software I wish to explore here in this blog. Welcome
domingo, 27 de janeiro de 2013
Universal Machines History
The Universal Computer: The Road from Leibniz to Turing: review of Martin Davis excellent book, which can be the basis for a computer history course.
Software Engineering ≠ Computer Science
Software Engineering different from Computer Science, by Chuck Connel. Several ideas: methods, in engineering, are approximate, but physics formulae are exact. They are mathematics formulae. And software is mathematics. There are no approximations, so no engineering. This is a fundamental quality of sotware. There is no "usually" or "in general".
Author said "The line is the property "directly involves human activity". Software engineering has this property, while traditional computer science does not. The results from disciplines below the line might be used by people, but their results are not directly affected by people.": this is not so. If the algortihm is correct, the software is maintenable and safe.
Agree that "Software engineering will never be a rigorous discipline with proven results, because it involves human activity." Agree for the requirements, not the algorithm.
Also agree that "If some area of software engineering is solved rigorously, you can just redefine software engineering not to include that problem." So, a good practice is to use more good software.
And "We should stop trying to prove fundamental results in software engineering and accept that the significant advances in this domain will be general guidelines."
See also Is Software Engineering Engineering? by Peter J. Denning and Richard D. Riehle. (march 2009 | vol. 52 | no. 3 | communications of the acm) Comments: Software is the opposite of engineering. Problems has to be formulated in mathematical terms in order for the solution to be perfect. And abstraction - which is difficult - solves the complexity.
See also Software Developers' Views of End-Users and Project Success.
Author said "The line is the property "directly involves human activity". Software engineering has this property, while traditional computer science does not. The results from disciplines below the line might be used by people, but their results are not directly affected by people.": this is not so. If the algortihm is correct, the software is maintenable and safe.
Agree that "Software engineering will never be a rigorous discipline with proven results, because it involves human activity." Agree for the requirements, not the algorithm.
Also agree that "If some area of software engineering is solved rigorously, you can just redefine software engineering not to include that problem." So, a good practice is to use more good software.
And "We should stop trying to prove fundamental results in software engineering and accept that the significant advances in this domain will be general guidelines."
See also Is Software Engineering Engineering? by Peter J. Denning and Richard D. Riehle. (march 2009 | vol. 52 | no. 3 | communications of the acm) Comments: Software is the opposite of engineering. Problems has to be formulated in mathematical terms in order for the solution to be perfect. And abstraction - which is difficult - solves the complexity.
See also Software Developers' Views of End-Users and Project Success.
sábado, 19 de janeiro de 2013
sexta-feira, 18 de janeiro de 2013
Open Source ideas
An anthropologist view of Open Source: Want to understand open source? Live with its developers
How open source is driving the future of cloud computing
And... MOOCS, which are open educations: A lesson from 2012: Open education brings power of knowledge to the masses and MOOC Skepticism Persists Among University Presidents, Despite Rapid Growth Of Online Courses In 2012
How open source is driving the future of cloud computing
And... MOOCS, which are open educations: A lesson from 2012: Open education brings power of knowledge to the masses and MOOC Skepticism Persists Among University Presidents, Despite Rapid Growth Of Online Courses In 2012
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