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There are Software Engineers but just because you are a Computer Programmer does not mean you are an Engineer. Engineers are defined as "individuals who uses sc

There are Software Engineers but just because you are a Computer Programmer does not mean you are an Engineer. Engineers are defined as "individuals who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems." Most so-called engineers are software programmers. But Language is fluid and changes with time, so at this time "Software Engineer" is the term so it's no good fighting it.

knome 9y ago
> But Language is fluid and changes with time, so at this time "Software Engineer" is the term so it's no good fighting it. But language being fluid, fighting it seems perfectly reasonable.
- timrichard 9y ago
  Sadly, I don't fancy your chances. It seems to be a lost cause when a small group of people want a huge group of people to revert to the original meaning of a word. Like 'decimated' and 'literally'.
skookumchuck 9y ago
As for changes in time, the term "engineer" used to mean the guy who drove the locomotive - and that guy didn't design the locomotive.
avs733 9y ago
The difference here is that, while language is very fluid, ENGINEER is a legally controlled term. Engineering as a profession has licensure- as does a doctor or nurse. There are potential legal consequences for calling oneself an engineer when one is not. There should be some effort to fight ambiguity masquerading as fluidity. They are not the same thing. This ambiguity literally got a child decapitated recently.
- jack9 9y ago
  > ENGINEER is a legally controlled term. It's a classification, so I don't think that's so. "Driver" is an equivalent term.
  - avs733 9y ago
    I'm sorry, but this is incorrect. https://www.nspe.org/resources/licensure/resources/faq https://www.nspe.org/resources/licensure/resources/faq https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_and_licensure_in_engineering#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_and_licensure_in_en...
    - closeparen 9y ago
      According to your Wikipedia link: >Since regulation of the practice of engineering is performed by the individual states in the United States, areas of engineering involved in interstate commerce are essentially unregulated. These areas include much of mechanical, aerospace, and chemical engineering—and may be specifically exempted from regulation under an "industrial exemption." An industrial exemption covers engineers who design products such as automobiles that are sold (or have the potential to be sold) outside the state where they are produced, as well as the equipment used to produce the product. According to the other: >Engineering licensure constitutes an integral part of the program of professional development of many companies; so much so, in fact, that many progressive companies have specific policies encouraging licensure and providing concrete assistance to engineers taking their first steps toward licensure This implies that they are engineers even before licensure.

knome 9y ago

> But Language is fluid and changes with time, so at this time "Software Engineer" is the term so it's no good fighting it. But language being fluid, fighting it seems perfectly reasonable.

timrichard 9y ago
Sadly, I don't fancy your chances. It seems to be a lost cause when a small group of people want a huge group of people to revert to the original meaning of a word. Like 'decimated' and 'literally'.

skookumchuck 9y ago

As for changes in time, the term "engineer" used to mean the guy who drove the locomotive - and that guy didn't design the locomotive.

avs733 9y ago

The difference here is that, while language is very fluid, ENGINEER is a legally controlled term. Engineering as a profession has licensure- as does a doctor or nurse. There are potential legal consequences for calling oneself an engineer when one is not. There should be some effort to fight ambiguity masquerading as fluidity. They are not the same thing. This ambiguity literally got a child decapitated recently.

jack9 9y ago
> ENGINEER is a legally controlled term. It's a classification, so I don't think that's so. "Driver" is an equivalent term.
- avs733 9y ago
  I'm sorry, but this is incorrect. https://www.nspe.org/resources/licensure/resources/faq https://www.nspe.org/resources/licensure/resources/faq https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_and_licensure_in_engineering#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulation_and_licensure_in_en...
  - closeparen 9y ago
    According to your Wikipedia link: >Since regulation of the practice of engineering is performed by the individual states in the United States, areas of engineering involved in interstate commerce are essentially unregulated. These areas include much of mechanical, aerospace, and chemical engineering—and may be specifically exempted from regulation under an "industrial exemption." An industrial exemption covers engineers who design products such as automobiles that are sold (or have the potential to be sold) outside the state where they are produced, as well as the equipment used to produce the product. According to the other: >Engineering licensure constitutes an integral part of the program of professional development of many companies; so much so, in fact, that many progressive companies have specific policies encouraging licensure and providing concrete assistance to engineers taking their first steps toward licensure This implies that they are engineers even before licensure.