* Introduction to Software Engineering * Software engineering * The economies of ALL developed nations are dependent on software * More and more systems are software controlled * Software engineering is concerned with theories, methods and tools for professional software development * Software engineering expenditure represents a significant fraction of GNP in all developed countries * Software costs * Software costs often dominate system costs. The costs of software on a PC are often greater than the hardware cost * Software costs more to maintain than it does to develop. For systems with a long life, maintenance costs may be several times development costs * Software engineering is concerned with cost-effective software development * What is software? * Computer programs and associated documentation * Software products may be developed for a particular customer or may be developed for a general market * Software products may be * Generic - developed to be sold to a range of different customers * Bespoke (custom) - developed for a single customer according to their specification * What is software engineering? * Software engineering is an engineering discipline which is concerned with all aspects of software production * Software engineers should adopt a systematic and organised approach to their work and use appropriate tools and techniques depending on the problem to be solved, the development constraints and the resources available * What is the difference between software engineering and computer science? * Computer science is concerned with theory and fundamentals; software engineering is concerned with the practicalities of developing and delivering useful software * Computer science theories are currently insufficient to act as a complete underpinning for software engineering * What is the difference between software engineering and system engineering? *
