This mail is publicly posted to a distribution list as part of a process
of public discussion, any automatically generated statements to the
contrary non-withstanding. It is the opinion of the author, and does not
represent an official company view. (01)
John, Ed, (02)
If I might remind you of the traditional definition of an
engineer "Someone who can do for sixpence what any fool can do for a
shilling" (where two sixpences make a shilling). This makes no reference
to any type of theory or body of practice. Used as a yardstick for
deciding whether software engineering is engineering, my experience is
that it is, at least over the software lifecycle. (03)
Also, the yardstick of whether something is a scientific theory
is whether it makes testable predictions, not whether it has, say, a
mathematical basis. Better theories are those that make more or more
precise (& true) predictions. For example, there is a theory that "there
are three ways of loosing a fortune - women, horses and engineers; the
first two are the most pleasurable, the last most certain". Although it
may not embed any explanatory principle, it does have some predictive
value. (04)
Sean Barker
BAE SYSTEMS - Advanced Technology Centre
Bristol, UK
+44(0) 117 302 8184 (05)
BAE Systems (Operations) Limited
Registered Office: Warwick House, PO Box 87, Farnborough Aerospace
Centre, Farnborough, Hants, GU14 6YU, UK
Registered in England & Wales No: 1996687 (06)
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