Software Engineering - Introduction

Table of Contents

Why Software Engineering most important ?

Evolving Role of Software

As per IBM report :

31% of project get cancelled before they are completed
53% over-run their cost estimates by an average of 189% for every 100 projects , there are 94 restarts.

Factors Contributing to the Software Crisis

Larger Problems
Lack of Adequate Training in Software Engineering
Increasing skill shortage
Low productivity improvements

Some Software Failures

Ariane 5

It took the European Space Agency 10 years and $7 billion to produce Ariane 5, a giant rocket capable of hurling a pair of three-ton satellites into orbit with each launch and intended to give Europe overwhelming supremacy in the commercial space business

Y2K Problem

It was simply the ignorance about the
adequacy or otherwise of using only
last two digits of the year.
The 4-digit date format, like 1964,
was shortened to 2-digit format, like
64.

The Patriot Missile

First time used in Gulf war
Used as a defense from Iraqi Scud
missiles
Failed several times including one that
killed 28 US soldiers in Dhahran,
Saudi Arabia.

The Space Shuttle

Part of an abort scenario for the
Shuttle requires fuel dumps to
lighten the spacecraft. It was
during the second of these
dumps that a (software) crash
occurred.