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The best software engineers I ever worked with were all C programmers. Further, and quite separate, the term "software engineer" was coined on behalf of assemb

by xbar 3y ago

The best software engineers I ever worked with were all C programmers. Further, and quite separate, the term "software engineer" was coined on behalf of assembly programmers, whose language lacks even further features. Finally, I am not sure what you mean when you say they make bad software engineers. Perhaps we have different definitions of software engineer.

adwn 3y ago
If someone doesn't recognize when and how their tools limit the quality of their work, they can't be good craftsmen. There might still be good reasons to use those tools (e.g., no better alternatives, or an existing ecosystem), but if you don't realize that your programming language is fundamentally limiting in ways that other languages are not, then you'll never know how to build better software.
pjmlp 3y ago
The term Software Engineer is something that in plenty of countries is validated by the engineering organization and is a legal title, not something one feels like calling themselves. Which also validates that any university teaching software engineering has a certain quality level, and portofolio of lectures, to create a general background across all subjects of engineering practices besides writing code.
- jhgb 3y ago
  In my country, "engineer" is an academic degree and therefore not "validated by the engineering organization" but conferred on you by a university. Having said that, "software engineer" is NOT understood as having any connection to the academic title of "engineer", as it's a job description and you can even be a degreed software engineer simply having just a bachelor's degree in the field anyway. Could you please give some examples of countries where "software engineer" is a protected title, together with the organizations responsible for conferring it? I think I looked it up in the past but wasn't able to find one. All I was finding was things like civil engineering certification (basically search engine garbage in the case of my search -- the quality of search engine results has really gone down the drain in the past 15 years or so, sadly).

by xbar 3y ago

adwn 3y ago

If someone doesn't recognize when and how their tools limit the quality of their work, they can't be good craftsmen. There might still be good reasons to use those tools (e.g., no better alternatives, or an existing ecosystem), but if you don't realize that your programming language is fundamentally limiting in ways that other languages are not, then you'll never know how to build better software.

pjmlp 3y ago

The term Software Engineer is something that in plenty of countries is validated by the engineering organization and is a legal title, not something one feels like calling themselves. Which also validates that any university teaching software engineering has a certain quality level, and portofolio of lectures, to create a general background across all subjects of engineering practices besides writing code.

jhgb 3y ago
In my country, "engineer" is an academic degree and therefore not "validated by the engineering organization" but conferred on you by a university. Having said that, "software engineer" is NOT understood as having any connection to the academic title of "engineer", as it's a job description and you can even be a degreed software engineer simply having just a bachelor's degree in the field anyway. Could you please give some examples of countries where "software engineer" is a protected title, together with the organizations responsible for conferring it? I think I looked it up in the past but wasn't able to find one. All I was finding was things like civil engineering certification (basically search engine garbage in the case of my search -- the quality of search engine results has really gone down the drain in the past 15 years or so, sadly).