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Introduction to software engineering
Typology: Lecture notes
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Sifudu Peter Masige Peter.masige100@gmail.com 1
What is Software engineering?
Essential attributes of good software Product characteristic Description Maintainability Software should be written in such a way so that it can evolve to meet the changing needs of customers. This is a critical attribute because software change is an inevitable requirement of a changing business environment. Dependability and security Software dependability includes a range of characteristics including reliability, security and safety. Dependable software should not cause physical or economic damage in the event of system failure. Malicious users should not be able to access or damage the system. Efficiency Software should not make wasteful use of system resources such as memory and processor cycles. Efficiency therefore includes responsiveness, processing time, memory utilisation, etc. Acceptability Software must be acceptable to the type of users for which it is designed. This means that it must be understandable, usable and compatible with other systems that they use.
A software process is a sequence of activities that leads to the production of a software product. There are four fundamental activities that are common to all software processes. Software specification, where customers and engineers define the software that is to be produced and the constraints on its operation. Software development, where the software is designed and programmed. Software validation, where the software is checked to ensure that it is what the customer requires. Software evolution, where the software is modified to reflect changing customer and market requirements.
General issues that affect most software Heterogeneity
Business and social change
Security and trust
◦These are application systems that run on a local computer, such as a PC. They include all necessary functionality and do not need to be connected to a network.
◦Applications that execute on a remote computer and are accessed by users from their own PCs or terminals. These include web applications such as e-commerce applications.
◦These are software control systems that control and manage hardware devices.
◦These are business systems that are designed to process data in large batches. They process large numbers of individual inputs to create corresponding outputs.
◦These are systems that are primarily for personal use and which are intended to entertain the user.
◦These are systems that are developed by scientists and engineers to model physical processes or situations, which include many, separate, interacting objects.
Software engineering fundamentals Some fundamental principles apply to all types of software system, irrespective of the development techniques used:
Software engineering and the web The Web is now a platform for running applications. Organizations are increasingly developing web-based systems rather than local systems. Web services allow application functionality to be accessed over the web. Cloud computing is an approach to the provision of computer services where applications run remotely on the ‘cloud’. ◦Users do not buy software but pay according to use.