Jones - The technical and social history of software engineering

ePUB is an open, industry-standard format for eBooks. However, support of ePUB and its many features varies across reading devices and applications. Use your device or app settings to customize the presentation to your liking. Settings that you can customize often include font, font size, single or double column, landscape or portrait mode, and figures that you can click or tap to enlarge. For additional information about the settings and features on your reading device or app, visit the device manufacturers Web site.

Many titles include programming code or configuration examples. To optimize the presentation of these elements, view the eBook in single-column, landscape mode and adjust the font size to the smallest setting. In addition to presenting code and configurations in the reflowable text format, we have included images of the code that mimic the presentation found in the print book; therefore, where the reflowable format may compromise the presentation of the code listing, you will see a Click here to view code image link. Click the link to view the print-fidelity code image. To return to the previous page viewed, click the Back button on your device or app.

Capers Jones

Upper Saddle River, NJ Boston Indianapolis San Francisco
New York Toronto Montreal London Munich Paris Madrid
Capetown Sydney Tokyo Singapore Mexico City

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters or in all capitals.

The author and publisher have taken care in the preparation of this book but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or programs contained herein.

The publisher offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales, which may include electronic versions and/or custom covers and content particular to your business, training goals, marketing focus, and branding interests. For more information, please contact:

U.S. Corporate and Government Sales
(800) 382-3419

For sales outside the United States, please contact:

International Sales

Visit us on the Web: informit.com/aw

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Jones, Capers.
The technical and social history of software engineering / Capers Jones.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-321-90342-6 (alk. paper)ISBN 0-321-90342-0 (alk. paper)
1. Software engineeringHistory. 2. Computer softwareDevelopmentSocial aspects.
3. Computer software industryHistory. 4. Computer software industrySocial aspects. I. Title.
QA76.758.J644 201
005.1--dc23
2013036017

Copyright 2014 Pearson Education, Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. To obtain permission to use material from this work, please submit a written request to Pearson Education, Inc., Permissions Department, One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458, or you may fax your request to (201) 236-3290.

Cover design by Chuti Prasertsith

Cover images Jim Richardson/National Geographic Image Collection/Alamy; Graeme Dawes/ShutterStock; Tim Jenner/ShutterStock; Franck Boston/ShutterStock; iFong/ShutterStock; Hintau Aliaksei/ShutterStock; dvande/ShutterStock; Everett Collection/ShutterStock; anaken2012/ShutterStock; Peshkova/ShutterStock

ISBN-13: 978-0-321-90342-6
ISBN-10: 0-321-90342-0

Text printed in the United States on recycled paper at RR Donnelley in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
First printing, November 2013

Over the last several decades, the software industry has advanced at a breakneck pace. Few of us have stopped to reflect on all the foundations, breakthroughs, and know-how that have made software the worlds most dominant product.

Our world now depends on software. It is everywhere, in almost every man-made thing, and used by almost everybody. All that invisible stuff in our phones, cars, gadgets, banks, and hospitals was once considered to be magical. Now it is taken for granted as just another necessary part, service, or feature. Dont you wonder how it all evolved? And where it came from? And why it was built? If you are curious about the evolution of all this magical technology, this book provides an authoritative chronology of softwares evolution. Moreover, if your profession depends on softwareand there are very few that dontyou will find this book to be a valuable and educational history lesson. It is loaded with quantified benchmarks of performance that you wont find anywhere else in the literature.

As a young engineer, I was introduced to Capers Jones through his books and papers on software measurement. He was one of the go-to thought leaders on software economics, and he was bold enough to publish facts and figures that helped quantify the challenges and opportunities. He has written more than a dozen books since then. When I wrote my first book in the 1990s, Capers was one of my top choices for peer review. To some degree back then, we were competitors, and his review of my manuscript was... well... lets just say that it was brutal. However, his review was, by far, the most valuable, insightful, and constructive. He knows how to write. His strong convictions are credible because he compiles extensive data and statistics on software quality and productivity across diverse industries. The big lesson he taught me was this: In the software world dominated by uncertainty, the person with the best data will be the most persuasive. His critique was effective for steering me in a better direction, and we have maintained a great professional relationship ever since by frequently exchanging ideas, presentations, and provocative positions.

The measurements and forecasts of progress, quality, and business trends in most software organizations sound like the sleight-of-hand statistics quoted by politicians rather than the matter-of-fact measurements expressed by engineers and scientists. Is this statement too harsh? No. Politicians have a well-deserved reputation and a track record similar to the software industry for under-delivering on committed forecasts and productivity improvements. The software marketplace is full of cynical customers because their experience with software productivity improvementinternally from their own people as well as externally from vendorsis plagued by hyperbole and spin. Software delivery endeavors have a high degree of uncertainty and complexity.

Reducing uncertainty through better measurement can increase trust among consumers, suppliers, and developers. Through his decades of work on measurement, Capers Jones has contributed immensely to the trust we put in todays software industry. Capers is a great writer and an authority on software history. He was a firsthand participant in the evolution of software from its infancy. This book synthesizes his research, knowledge, and quantified insights into a history lesson that every software professional will find useful and every software user will find enlightening. His writing is fluid, engaging, and crisp. Enjoy this measured story of software advances and learn from it.