tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post2099480121757456174..comments2022-06-29T08:53:03.580+02:00Comments on Compas Pascal: The difference between craftsmanship and engineering in software developmentUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-77465539351479939992009-07-20T21:58:03.473+02:002009-07-20T21:58:03.473+02:00When I compare Software Engineering with Construct...When I compare Software Engineering with Construction Engineering, I see so many similarities, it's striking. You need to make good decisions early, or the "foundation" will not hold. Simple specs are often difficult to implement, for instance, putting a Window into a wall may have a lot of dependencies on building stability, climate shield, costs, supply, schedule etc., and a Lars Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06217303713945608384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-69641679041591944622009-07-20T21:57:04.342+02:002009-07-20T21:57:04.342+02:00@Warren: It's sad that you haven't met one...@Warren: It's sad that you haven't met one of the many splendid Software Engineers out there. I can give you two examples of Engineers from the same Engineer University that I graduated from: Anders Hejlsberg (Delphi, C# but didn't have time to graduate), and Jakob Nielsen (useit.com).<br /><br />Just like you, I don't want to discuss individuals and I don't want to take part Lars Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06217303713945608384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-47836298397864165802009-07-20T20:32:26.684+02:002009-07-20T20:32:26.684+02:00Cynical response; "Qualified software enginee...Cynical response; "Qualified software engineer?". A guy with a cooshy job, hands-off the code, buddy. I just do documents and meetings, participate in team-based development processes where its impossible to measure my results, and I get paid more for it. <br /><br />I call that a righteous gig.<br /><br />:-)Warrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053407632823479165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-32414932898355634912009-07-20T20:29:49.505+02:002009-07-20T20:29:49.505+02:00Software engineering isn't "special"...Software engineering isn't "special" but it *IS* different.<br /><br />I know a lot of engineers that are wonderful at their engineering disciplines, whether they are civil, electrical, electronic, or computer engineering.<br /><br />But I know zero engineers that I also consider top-tier software developers. That is to say, I find their abilities in software to be significantly Warrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053407632823479165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-43974314265322163282009-07-20T18:39:47.718+02:002009-07-20T18:39:47.718+02:00@Anonymous: There is a huge difference between a s...@Anonymous: There is a huge difference between a self-proclaimed Software Engineer, and a qualified one. A qualified Software Engineer is not necessarily writing source code. I would even continue to say, that a qualified Software Engineer rarely builds something alone, and sometimes isn't doing anything that relates to normal Computer Science.Lars Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06217303713945608384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-21913359707669357952009-07-20T17:27:16.810+02:002009-07-20T17:27:16.810+02:00"Software" engineers only build one samp..."Software" engineers only build one sample of anything, say a Pharmaceuticals testing tool, without knowing anything about medicines, then it gets copied and distributed. After that, they move on to the next project, say for a bank, without ever having studied banking. In other words, the domain skills gained in the pharmaceuticals project are largely lost.<br /><br />Software engineersAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-17087442544499729632009-07-20T14:23:36.532+02:002009-07-20T14:23:36.532+02:00Others have already defined Engineering and Crafts...Others have already defined Engineering and Craftsmanship, so that we don't have to spend our time on that. That's why this blog post focuses on cost structures and organization.<br /><br />Anyway, it is actually possible to graduate as a Software Engineer from many Universities - and no, it's not the same as a Computer Science graduate.Lars Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06217303713945608384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-3028883944809828362009-07-20T13:36:39.848+02:002009-07-20T13:36:39.848+02:00Well a programmer can consider himself/herself an ...Well a programmer can consider himself/herself an engineer or craftsman depending on the job at hand. I think the problem always comes when somebody wants to consider themselves one or the other, but in reality programmers are almost always a bit of both, some more engineers than craftsmen, and some the other way round. Although most want to be considered "engineers" I think because it NMInoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-61862273464952239432009-07-20T07:34:18.924+02:002009-07-20T07:34:18.924+02:00The main difference IMHO is that in other fields, ...The main difference IMHO is that in other fields, craftsmen and engineers have very different tools and work habits: they're easy to distinguish, even to those that have no knowledge of the field.<br /><br />In software, they both work indoors and use computers ^_^<br /><br />I agree with Lars, things are very similar in software, but even those working in the field ofttimes fail to grasp theErichttp://delphitools.info/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-90226347479495510712009-07-19T23:06:31.040+02:002009-07-19T23:06:31.040+02:00One of my favorite sparring partners regarding sof...One of my favorite sparring partners regarding software engineering, is a guy who is responsible for major construction projects, including office buildings, parking garages etc. His problems and the stuff he does on a daily basis, is almost identical to the work of a software engineer.<br /><br />Many people think that software engineering is special - it's not. It's just another kind ofLars Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06217303713945608384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4434108347727659251.post-6043306230849607642009-07-19T22:53:07.060+02:002009-07-19T22:53:07.060+02:00I haven't read Jeff Atwood original piece that...I haven't read Jeff Atwood original piece that you link to, but for me the distinction - in the software field - is somewhat different, because in other fields you would not consider different practitioners to be either engineers or craftsmen, but one or the other.<br /><br />A cabinet maker is a craftsman, for example. Nobody would consider a cabinet maker to be an engineer.<br /><br />Jolyon Smithhttp://www.deltics.co.nz/blognoreply@blogger.com