Why Are Software Engineers (Not) Engineers?(brainbaking.com)
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Why Are Software Engineers (Not) Engineers?
https://brainbaking.com/post/2022/10/why-are-software-engineers-engineers/
7 comments
Years back, they referred to developers as craftsmen and encouraged them to develop their craft. I suspect many/most of those recreating code view themselves as artists. Which aren’t engineers.
True; but I also think that the nature of software development is different from traditional engineering - we are not constraint by the physical world; there is more options, ambiguity and creativity involved
Engineering practices are written in blood. No one bleeds from software bugs (excluding things like Therac 25 which is classified as a medical device) so programmers will never be engineers.
There are some things which rely on their software for safety (space shuttle, perhaps cars, ...). For these cases, I really, really hope they're being coded in a way that looks like engineering, not like vibe.
Nobody probably dies if/when hearing aids crash. But then, I've not had to reboot any of them in the 20+ years I've had them.
Nobody probably dies if/when hearing aids crash. But then, I've not had to reboot any of them in the 20+ years I've had them.
In most cases, you're right, but then there actually is life- and safety-critical software; so I guess - it depends and that's also one of the potential ambiguity sources.
Unless you have a PE then you're not an engineer. The term "engineer" is bandied around to make a position sound more important. I've had the title "Staff Engineer", but I assure you, I am not an actual engineer.
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