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"The Mythical Man Month" first edition is 45 years old as a retrospective on a decade old development project 55 years ago. The strongest indication programmin

by VLM 6y ago

"The Mythical Man Month" first edition is 45 years old as a retrospective on a decade old development project 55 years ago. The strongest indication programming is not engineering is forgetting and reinventing the past. Also revolutionary tools and techniques are invented far too often in CS. In mechanical engineering we've had screws for a few centuries and off the top of my head the most recent innovation in screw fastener tech was the creation of the "Torx" screw standard in the 60s. The Torx innovation was due to smarter torque controlled automatic screwdrivers on assembly lines WRT electronic drive tech and early digital control.

ardit33 6y ago
lets be real, how many versions of the Combustion Engine are.... a gazillion. Gas, Diesel, Turbine, Rotary, in-line, V, Turbo, Carburated, SuperCharged, SkyActive-X etc.. etc.. While the basics principles are the same and over 120 years old, the Combustion engine has been re-invented and re-engineered a gazillion of times... Maybe some of you guys here are young, but there were cars (large SUVs, or Sports Cars), that would consume 8-9mpg, yet still be slow as molasses compared to today's cars. So, yes while the basic principles of the combustion engine are the same... but it has been re-engineered (from scratch), a many times, and each time it would be slightly better and better. Same with planes, jets, tanks, etc...
- tobmlt 6y ago
  Additionally, the process of doing the physical engineering has changed drastically -- computational tools, design space exploration, optimization methods. (recognizing that the grandparent comment stuck specifically to screw-tech, but it's interesting to think about physical-engineering-innovation in broad terms) Then there are innovations in manufacturing enabling new designs. 3D printing is coming along. Not everybody has to pull from a catalog of shapes, thicknesses, etc, for structural design.
goatinaboat 6y ago
The strongest indication programming is not engineering is forgetting and reinventing the past If it was engineering, or even a “profession”, experience would be prized, instead ageism is rampant.

by VLM 6y ago

ardit33 6y ago

lets be real, how many versions of the Combustion Engine are.... a gazillion. Gas, Diesel, Turbine, Rotary, in-line, V, Turbo, Carburated, SuperCharged, SkyActive-X etc.. etc.. While the basics principles are the same and over 120 years old, the Combustion engine has been re-invented and re-engineered a gazillion of times... Maybe some of you guys here are young, but there were cars (large SUVs, or Sports Cars), that would consume 8-9mpg, yet still be slow as molasses compared to today's cars. So, yes while the basic principles of the combustion engine are the same... but it has been re-engineered (from scratch), a many times, and each time it would be slightly better and better. Same with planes, jets, tanks, etc...

tobmlt 6y ago
Additionally, the process of doing the physical engineering has changed drastically -- computational tools, design space exploration, optimization methods. (recognizing that the grandparent comment stuck specifically to screw-tech, but it's interesting to think about physical-engineering-innovation in broad terms) Then there are innovations in manufacturing enabling new designs. 3D printing is coming along. Not everybody has to pull from a catalog of shapes, thicknesses, etc, for structural design.

goatinaboat 6y ago

The strongest indication programming is not engineering is forgetting and reinventing the past If it was engineering, or even a “profession”, experience would be prized, instead ageism is rampant.