4 ms·
Hard to apply those to software engineering as well.
by vimax 3y ago
Hard to apply those to software engineering as well.
- runjake 3y agoIn most jurisdictions, a professional engineer is essentially a specific legal thing. In most jurisdictions I am aware of, software engineers are not professional engineers. I am sure there are many exceptions. That said, I think all of the above are rather easy to apply to SWE aside from, arguably, the first bullet point.
- vimax 3y agoAnd I can list counter examples for each. Civil engineers and architects don’t “move fast and break things” or “fake it til you make it” after a 3 month bootcamp.
- marcellus23 3y agoThere are software engineering domains, like aerospace, where the process is very stringent with rigorous planning and testing. There are others, like consumer app development, where there's simply no need for that kind of process, so it doesn't exist. HNers might complain, but average people don't care if their social media app crashes once in a while and they have to restart it — so why should developers care? Better to spend their time on other stuff. Whereas people care a lot if their airplane crashes. I don't think it suggests anything about the relative value of working in those domains.
- vimax 3y agoBut those consumer apps that use or sell personal data against that persons interests as a business model, or those that leak or lose personal information through negligence are very harmful to society. Why should they get a pass?
- marcellus23 3y agoThat's a totally unrelated argument. Plenty of "real" engineers work on weapons systems. Architects work on ultra luxury skyscrapers for Saudi businessmen. Civil engineers work on new highways that destroy poor neighborhoods. No one is talking about ethics here.
- vimax 3y agoHow is it unrelated if we’re talking about software engineering as a profession? Yes there are some SWEs working in engineering fields, but the majority are not classically “engineers”
- marcellus23 3y agoMaybe you could explain how it's related? I feel like I did a good job of explaining how ethics makes no sense in this discussion in my above comment.
- vimax 3y agoMy original comment was that this list of engineering standards is not followed by most software engineering. You seem to be saying there are some that it can be applied ti, and I’m say those are in the minority.
- marcellus23 3y agoRight — standards, not ethics. You still haven't explained how ethics matters here. Like I said, plenty of engineers that follow standards rigorously do it in the service of unethical goals.
- ajdoingnothing 3y agoCompletely agree. It reminds me of 'They Write the Right Stuff' (1996) [1], how a group of engineers developed the software for the Space Shuttle. [1] https://www.fastcompany.com/28121/they-write-right-stuff https://www.fastcompany.com/28121/they-write-right-stuff
- shawabawa3 3y agoIn the UK my computer science masters was a masters of engineering and I got some kind of engineering qualification (which I have since lost and have never used)
- roflyear 3y agoI disagree, I think 1-2 are not really applicable, but SWE has some stuff other engineering fields don't have, either.