By: Freke Ette
Posted: 4/18/07
For almost 20 years Alfred Spector has wondered why structural bridges could be built on time and under budget, while software production is often late, over budget and full of errors. In the IT Eminent Lecture series at the Life Sciences Building Auditorium on Tuesday evening, Spector, an independent IT consultant, traced the fault to the current approach to software design, which focuses on programming code at the expense of integrated input from other fields. Code refers to the instructions written by a programmer for a computer to execute. Design, according to Spector, refers to the application of analysis and synthesis to plan and create new objects. In his lecture entitled, "Towards a Software Science of Design," Spector said there was a need in the computer science community for a research field dedicated to software processing. "The current state of design is not sound," Spector said. "It is not a holistic discipline studied in the same way as the classical humanities or engineering." Spector said this was necessary because of the complexity involved in producing software. Using Microsoft Windows XP as an example, Spector said it was released six years ago with 10 million lines of codes and about a million bugs. The Linux Information Project defines a bug as an error or flaw in a computer program that may prevent it from working correctly or produce an incorrect or unintended result. "A software science of design would facilitate software production by helping to understand, codify and integrate currently understood approaches to design but also by creating better approaches and tools," Spector said. Spector said software can continue to allow great growth in productivity if quantifiable design objectives are established to measure success. "Software, while important today, is only beginning to rise in importance," Spector said. "We are moving rapidly toward greater use of information technology." Josh Moulton, mathematics freshman, said he was impressed with what he learned from the lecture. "I have seriously thought about the integration of design, and I'm glad to know someone as distinguished as Spector is interested in it," Moulton said. The IT Eminent Lecture Series was hosted by the Center for Computation and Technology and the Computer Science department.
Posted: 4/18/07
For almost 20 years Alfred Spector has wondered why structural bridges could be built on time and under budget, while software production is often late, over budget and full of errors. In the IT Eminent Lecture series at the Life Sciences Building Auditorium on Tuesday evening, Spector, an independent IT consultant, traced the fault to the current approach to software design, which focuses on programming code at the expense of integrated input from other fields. Code refers to the instructions written by a programmer for a computer to execute. Design, according to Spector, refers to the application of analysis and synthesis to plan and create new objects. In his lecture entitled, "Towards a Software Science of Design," Spector said there was a need in the computer science community for a research field dedicated to software processing. "The current state of design is not sound," Spector said. "It is not a holistic discipline studied in the same way as the classical humanities or engineering." Spector said this was necessary because of the complexity involved in producing software. Using Microsoft Windows XP as an example, Spector said it was released six years ago with 10 million lines of codes and about a million bugs. The Linux Information Project defines a bug as an error or flaw in a computer program that may prevent it from working correctly or produce an incorrect or unintended result. "A software science of design would facilitate software production by helping to understand, codify and integrate currently understood approaches to design but also by creating better approaches and tools," Spector said. Spector said software can continue to allow great growth in productivity if quantifiable design objectives are established to measure success. "Software, while important today, is only beginning to rise in importance," Spector said. "We are moving rapidly toward greater use of information technology." Josh Moulton, mathematics freshman, said he was impressed with what he learned from the lecture. "I have seriously thought about the integration of design, and I'm glad to know someone as distinguished as Spector is interested in it," Moulton said. The IT Eminent Lecture Series was hosted by the Center for Computation and Technology and the Computer Science department.
Publish Date:
04-18-2007
