The term Software Engineering (SE) was coined at a NATO conference in 1968 in a somewhat provocative sense. Shouldn't it be possible to build software in the way one builds bridges and houses, using sound and proven design and construction techniques as in other engineering fields? By now, after 40 years of development, we can safely say that a lot of progress has been made. Life without well-engineered computer systems is inconceivable.



In this lecture, Professor Hans van Vliet (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) will sketch the developments in the field, and focus on recent developments that are having a huge impact: - the rise of agile methods - the shift from producing software to using software - the success of open source software - the globalization of software development These developments have widened the scope of the field. It is increasingly being recognized that there's more to SE than engineering. In particular, SE has an important human and social dimension as well.



Professor van Vliet was invited to Swinburne under the Board of Research Visiting Professor Grant Scheme, and this lecture was presented as part of the PVC(R) Visiting Professor Lecture Series.