Time for me to drag this old chestnut back up.

You don't see the same problems in say, structural engineering as you do in software engineering. I suggest this is due to needing to go through the formal training required of a structural engineer, and membership bodies like chartered institutions, with standards and codes of ethics. We might want to reflect on that

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IX-103 an hour ago | parent | next [-]

I think being legally liable for any failures that pop up probably also has something to do with their more cautious culture...

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DrBazza 35 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Structural engineering, is engineering (though mechanical engineers would disagree), 'software engineering' not so much. It just happens to be a word that's a useful synonym for 'building things'.

I rarely call myself an 'engineer', preferring developer or programmer.

	▲	_ph_ 15 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Isn't software "engineering" or shouldn't it be considered that? Creating a new painting program might not be considered that and a software failure would have little impact, but there is a huge amount of software which is essential for the operation of complex systems. We just had large parts of the internet impacted by the PHP bug - a lot of businesses were harmed in their fundamental processes by it. Like if a roof of a warehouse had collapsed. In Europe, a lot of supermarkets were hit by a remote exploit which allowed attackers to switch off cooling of food. A blood bank in France was attacked the same way. So how would building software for important or even safety-relvant systems not be considered "engineering"? Especially, as faulty software might not only cause a product or device to fail in a dangerous manner, faulty software in this day and age often makes it possibly to remotely attack the faulty product.

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mmcgaha 34 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Sometimes software is a public works project but sometimes it is a backyard shed. You just have to know the difference.

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drdec an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I agree with you but I would extend that observation to include the age of the industries. We have been making structures for thousands of years. Software is an infant compared to that.

I think that has more to do with than some unverifiable sentiment like "software people are simply inherently less serious than other engineers".

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pletnes an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

You do. Structures fail. Less so in parts of the world where serious regulations are in place.

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ihavesomeexampl 33 minutes ago | parent | prev [-]

We don’t have time to tinker about for months on regulatory processes and making the our screws are “B6”. Software is a different industry.