T H E E V O LV I N G R O L E O F S O F T WA R E Today, software takes on a dual role. It is a product and, at the same time, the vehi-
1.1 T H E E V O LV I N G R O L E O F S O F T WA R E Today, software takes on a dual role. It is a product and, at the same time, the vehi-
cle for delivering a product. As a product, it delivers the computing potential embod- ied by computer hardware or, more broadly, a network of computers that are accessible by local hardware. Whether it resides within a cellular phone or operates inside a mainframe computer, software is an information transformer—producing, manag-
Software is both a ing, acquiring, modifying, displaying, or transmitting information that can be as sim- product and a vehicle
ple as a single bit or as complex as a multimedia presentation. As the vehicle used for delivering a
product. to deliver the product, software acts as the basis for the control of the computer (oper- ating systems), the communication of information (networks), and the creation and control of other programs (software tools and environments).
Software delivers the most important product of our time—information. Software transforms personal data (e.g., an individual’s financial transactions) so that the data can be more useful in a local context; it manages business information to enhance competitiveness; it provides a gateway to worldwide information networks (e.g., Inter- net) and provides the means for acquiring information in all of its forms.
The role of computer software has undergone significant change over a time span of little more than 50 years. Dramatic improvements in hardware performance, pro-
CHAPTER 1
THE PRODUCT
found changes in computing architectures, vast increases in memory and storage capacity, and a wide variety of exotic input and output options have all precipitated more sophisticated and complex computer-based systems. Sophistication and com- plexity can produce dazzling results when a system succeeds, but they can also pose huge problems for those who must build complex systems.
Popular books published during the 1970s and 1980s provide useful historical insight into the changing perception of computers and software and their impact on “For I dipped into the
our culture. Osborne [OSB79] characterized a "new industrial revolution." Toffler future, far as the
[TOF80] called the advent of microelectronics part of "the third wave of change" in human eye could
human history, and Naisbitt [NAI82] predicted a transformation from an industrial see, Saw the vision
of the world, and all society to an "information society." Feigenbaum and McCorduck [FEI83] suggested the wonder that
that information and knowledge (controlled by computers) would be the focal point would be.”
for power in the twenty-first century, and Stoll [STO89] argued that the "electronic
Tennyson
community" created by networks and software was the key to knowledge interchange throughout the world.
As the 1990s began, Toffler [TOF90] described a "power shift" in which old power structures (governmental, educational, industrial, economic, and military) disinte- grate as computers and software lead to a "democratization of knowledge." Yourdon
“Computers make it [YOU92] worried that U.S. companies might loose their competitive edge in software- easy to do a lot of
related businesses and predicted “the decline and fall of the American programmer.” things, but most of
the things that they Hammer and Champy [HAM93] argued that information technologies were to play a make it easier to do
pivotal role in the “reengineering of the corporation.” During the mid-1990s, the per- don't need to be
vasiveness of computers and software spawned a rash of books by “neo-Luddites” done.”
(e.g., Resisting the Virtual Life, edited by James Brook and Iain Boal and The Future
Parts
» The Concurrent Development Model
» SUMMARY Software engineering is a discipline that integrates process, methods, and tools for
» PEOPLE In a study published by the IEEE [CUR88], the engineering vice presidents of three
» THE PROCESS The generic phases that characterize the software process—definition, development,
» THE PROJECT In order to manage a successful software project, we must understand what can go
» METRICS IN THE PROCESS AND PROJECT DOMAINS
» Extended Function Point Metrics
» METRICS FOR SOFTWARE QUALITY
» INTEGRATING METRICS WITHIN THE SOFTWARE PROCESS
» METRICS FOR SMALL ORGANIZATIONS
» ESTABLISHING A SOFTWARE METRICS PROGRAM
» Obtaining Information Necessary for Scope
» An Example of LOC-Based Estimation
» QUALITY CONCEPTS 1 It has been said that no two snowflakes are alike. Certainly when we watch snow
» SUMMARY Software quality assurance is an umbrella activity that is applied at each step in the
» R diagram 1.4 <part-of> data model; data model <part-of> design specification;
» SYSTEM MODELING Every computer-based system can be modeled as an information transform using an
» Facilitated Application Specification Techniques
» Data Objects, Attributes, and Relationships
» Entity/Relationship Diagrams
» Hatley and Pirbhai Extensions
» Creating an Entity/Relationship Diagram
» SUMMARY Design is the technical kernel of software engineering. During design, progressive
» Data Modeling, Data Structures, Databases, and the Data Warehouse
» Data Design at the Component Level
» A Brief Taxonomy of Styles and Patterns
» Quantitative Guidance for Architectural Design
» Isolate the transform center by specifying incoming and outgoing
» SUMMARY Software architecture provides a holistic view of the system to be built. It depicts the
» The User Interface Design Process
» Defining Interface Objects and Actions
» D E S I G N E VA L U AT I O N
» Testing for Real-Time Systems
» Organizing for Software Testing
» Criteria for Completion of Testing
» The Transition to a Quantitative View
» The Attributes of Effective Software Metrics
» Architectural Design Metrics
» Component-Level Design Metrics
» SUMMARY Software metrics provide a quantitative way to assess the quality of internal product
» Encapsulation, Inheritance, and Polymorphism
» Identifying Classes and Objects
» The Common Process Framework for OO
» OO Project Metrics and Estimation
» Event Identification with Use-Cases
» SUMMARY Object-oriented analysis methods enable a software engineer to model a problem by
» Partitioning the Analysis Model
» Designing Algorithms and Data Structures
» Program Components and Interfaces
» SUMMARY Object-oriented design translates the OOA model of the real world into an
» Testing Surface Structure and Deep Structure
» Deficiencies of Less Formal Approaches 1
» What Makes Cleanroom Different?
» Design Refinement and Verification
» SUMMARY Cleanroom software engineering is a formal approach to software development that
» Structural Modeling and Structure Points
» Describing Reusable Components
» SUMMARY Component-based software engineering offers inherent benefits in software quality,
» Guidelines for Distributing Application Subsystems
» Middleware and Object Request Broker Architectures
» An Overview of a Design Approach
» Consider expert Web developer will create a complete design, but time and cost can be appropriate
» A Software Reengineering Process Model
» Reverse Engineering to Understand Data
» Forward Engineering for Client/Server Architectures
» SUMMARY Reengineering occurs at two different levels of abstraction. At the business level,
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