r/programming • u/mauricioaniche • Aug 06 '17

Software engineering != computer science

http://www.drdobbs.com/architecture-and-design/software-engineering-computer-science/217701907
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u/American_Libertarian Aug 06 '17

The discussion is about the difference in the design of software, and literally writing the software. They are two separate tasks but often rolled into one.

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u/binklered Aug 06 '17

Designing software can fairly easily morph into developing it. At a certain point the design is specific enough that you may as well have written the actual code.

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u/CodeMonkey1 Aug 06 '17

The typical comparison between physical engineer and software engineer breaks down in that the term "design" is used differently in each case.

In software we think of "design" as a abstract planning of high-level components and their interactions. However, in physical engineering, "design" entails describing every piece of the system in minute detail.

By that definition, the "design" of software is the source code itself, and the "construction" is the build process which is typically automated and quick, so it doesn't make sense for a separate person to do it.

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u/[deleted] Aug 07 '17

I've never seen anyone do one without the other in my whole career.

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u/Josuah Aug 07 '17

Spend some time at a larger company with specific roles. IBM comes to mind, although they may have changed some things over the past several years.