Lecture 1
Dr. Nabil M. Eldakhly
Sadat Academy For
Management Sciences
(SAMS
SAMS))
Text book
Introduction
Topics Covered
Professional software development
– What is meant by software engineering?
Software engineering ethics
– A brief introduction to ethical issues that affect software
engineering.
Case Studies
– An introduction to three examples that are used in later
chapters.
Software Engineering
The economies of all industrial nations are
dependent on software.
Software engineering is concerned with theories,
methods and tools for professional software
development.
Expenses on software represent a significant part in
all developed countries.
Software Engineering (Cont.)
Software engineering is an engineering discipline
that is concerned with all aspects of software
production from the early stages of system
specification through to maintaining the system after
it has gone into use.
– Engineering discipline
• Using appropriate theories and methods to solve problems
bearing in mind organizational and financial constraints.
– All aspects of software production
• Not just technical process of development. Also, project
management and the development of tools, methods etc. to
support software production.
Importance of Software Engineering
More and more, individuals and society rely on
advanced software systems. We need able to produce
reliable and trustworthy system economically and
quickly.
It is usually cheaper, in the long run, to use software
engineering methods and techniques for software
systems rather than just write the programs as if it was
a personal programming project.
For most types of system, the majority of costs are the
costs of changing the software after it has gone use.
Software Process Activities
Software specification, where customers and
engineers define the software that is to be produced
and constraints on its operations.
Software development, where the software is
designed and programmed.
Software validation, where the software is checked to
ensure that it is what the customer requires.
Software evolution, where the software is modified to
reflect changing customer and market requirements.
General Issues That Affect Most Software
Heterogeneity
– Increasingly, system are required to operate as distributed
systems across networks that include different types of
computers and mobile devices.
Business and social change
– Business and society are changing incredibly quickly as
emerging economies develop and new technologies
become available. They need to be able to change their
existing software and to rapidly develop new software.
Security and trust
– A software is intertwined with all aspects of our lives, it is
essential that we can trust that software.
Software Costs
The costs of software on a PC are often greater than
the hardware costs.
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.
Software Products
Generic Products
– Stand alone systems that are marked and sold to any
customer who wishes to by them.
• Examples: PC software such a graphics programs, project
managements tools, programming languages php, C++.
– The specification of what the software should do is owned
by the software developer and decisions on software
change are made by the developer.
Software Products (Cont.)
Customized Products
– Software that is specially made by a specific customer to
meet their own needs.
• Examples: Specific company system, factory system,
embedded control system, air traffic control, traffic
monitoring system.
– The specification of what the software should do is owned
by the customer for the software and they make decisions
on software that are required.
Software Engineering Diversity
• There are many different types of software system and
there is no universal set of software techniques that is
applicable to all of these.
• The software engineering methods and tools used
depend on the type of application being developed, the
requirements of the customer and the background of
the development team.
Application Types
Stand alone applications
– These are application systems that run on a local
computer, such as a PC.
– They include all necessary functionality and do not need to
be connected to a network.
Interactive transaction based applications.
– Applications that execute on a remote computer and are
accessed by users from their own PCs or terminals.
– These include web applications such as e-commerce
applications.
Application Types (Cont.)
Embedded control systems.
– These are software control systems that control and
manage hardware devices.
– Numerically, there are probably more embedded systems
than any other type of system.
Batch processing systems
– These are business systems that are designed to process
data in large batches. They process large numbers of
individual inputs to create corresponding outputs.
Application Types (Cont.)
Entertainment systems
– These are systems that are primarily for personal use and
which are intended to entertain the user.
Systems for modeling and simulation
– These are systems that are developed by scientists and
engineers to model physical processes or situations, which
include many, separate, interacting objects.
Frequently Asked Question About S/E
Frequently Asked Question About S/E (Cont.)
Frequently Asked Question About S/E (Cont.)
Key Points
Software engineering is an engineering discipline that is
concerned with all aspects of software production.
Essential software product attributes are maintainability,
dependability and security, efficiency and acceptability.
The high-level activities of specification, development, validation
and evolution are part of all software processes.
The fundamental notions of software engineering are universally
applicable to all types of system development.
There are many different types of system and each requires
appropriate software engineering tools and techniques for their
development.
The fundamental ideas of software engineering are applicable to
all types of software system.
