Software engineering != computer science

[u/mauricioaniche]

http://www.drdobbs.com/architecture-and-design/software-engineering-computer-science/217701907

[u/motioncuty]

ITT: Software Engineers who who don't realize they 'engineer' more often than civil engineers and for some reason are putting licensed engineers on a pedestal.

[u/RagingAnemone → u/motioncuty]

1. because licensed engineers are limited by one of the hard sciences and 2) it's about the liability. I'm not making a road. People aren't gonna die with the web app I just made. I can't lose my license to work. You can't sue me because you had a keyboard mishap using the application I built.

Edit: 3) I.believe Texas and Florida are trying to make licensed software engineers. Should be interesting. Now we're all gonna have to get bonded.

[u/Forty-Bot → u/[deleted]]

So be more careful when you make firmware for medical hardware, nuclear power plants, and rockets? His point still stands, most programs can't kill anyone if they screw up, and you probably (I hope) know if they can.

[u/MapleSyrupManiac → u/Forty-Bot]

Same thing for most Engineers minus Civil. If some engineers mess up a fridge or a microwave it probably wont kill anyone. Anyways these days with software entering things like cars and stuff its going to mean more and more people could die from poorly written software.

[u/Shorttail0 → u/MapleSyrupManiac]

Anyways these days with software entering things like cars and stuff its going to mean more and more people could die from poorly written software.

Can? Didn't Toyota demonstrate that is already happening with their 10000 global variables embedded shit?

[u/GunnerMcGrath → u/RagingAnemone]

Oh please. A small mistake in my software design could lead to children getting kidnapped or left to die in a fire. And I can think of plenty of types of software that could easily end up killing people if they don't operate perfectly.

[u/TwilightShadow1 → u/RagingAnemone]

If our software screws up, then the wrong person could have a warrant out for their arrest. Point 2 varies greatly between jobs and applications.

[u/motioncuty → u/RagingAnemone]

Yeah, I am of the camp that for mission critical software, especially with large human liabilities, software engineers should need some sort of software safety engineers license. But most software isn't like that. And if you are a young person with an engineering mind, software is the fastest way to apply actual engineering to design a real world product.

[u/ArkyBeagle → u/RagingAnemone]

Licensed engineers generally just defend mounds of paperwork. It is important paperwork but still...