Introduction to

Software Engineering

Software is hard.
---Donald Knuth
 Software is pervasive throughout
our economy and culture
Modern civilization runs on software.
Nearly all of the products, services and
innovations that power the industrialized
world depend on software.
If you arent amazed by the extent to which
our economy and culture depend on software,
Ill forgive you because software is largely
invisible. You cant see it. You can only
experience it indirectly. Lets make it tangible.
 For Example
Did you know there is a ton of software in
the average luxury car?
No, I mean that literally. The average luxury
car contains almost 100 million lines of
code.
Printed and bound,
100 million lines of
code weighs over
3,000 lbs or 1.5 tons!
History of Software Engineering

1968 NATO Conference on Software Engineering

 Software Engineering
Software engineering is the application of
a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable
approach to the development, operation,
and maintenance of software, that is, the
application of engineering to software
[IEEE]
 What is Engineering?
Engineers apply science and technology to develop cost-
effective solutions to practical problems.
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
(ABET) defines Engineering as:
The profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical
and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and
practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to
utilize, economically, the materials and forces of nature for
the benefit of mankind

Engineering disciplines have a core body of knowledge or

underlying science that can be used to solve practical
problems. For example, chemical engineering has
chemistry and electrical engineering has math and physics.