ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY IN UGANDA

Bridging Communities

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
Chapter 1 : Introduction

Dr. Guma Ali

 Objectives (1/2)
At the end of the chapter, the student should be able to:
• Define software.
• State the importance of software.
• Explain the types of software.
• Outline the software characteristics and myths.
• Examine the terminologies used in software.
• Narrate the history of software design and development.
• List the software development principles and qualities.
• Write short notes on software engineering.
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 Objectives (2/2)
• State the key characteristics of software engineering.
• Explain the history of software engineering.
• Outline the importance of software engineering.
• Examine the key principles of software engineering.
• Describe the roles in software engineering.
• List software engineering tools and environments.
• State software engineering challenges.
• Explain the emerging trends in software engineering.

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 Introduction (1/2)
• Software is a collection of instructions, data, or
programs used to operate computers and execute
specific tasks.
• Software is a set of programs (sequence of
instructions) that allows the users to perform a well-
defined function or some specified task.
• It is the non-tangible component of computers.

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Introduction (2/2)

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 Importance of Software (1/1)
 Software plays a crucial role in modern technology,
enabling communication, automation, and innovation
across industries.
 It serves as a bridge between the user and the
computer hardware, allowing users to interact with
machines and perform various tasks efficiently.

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Types of Software (1/3)

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 Types of Software (2/3)
❑ System Software: Manages hardware and software
resources (e.g., Operating Systems like Windows,
Linux, iOS, MacOS, Android, CentOS, Unix).
❑ Application Software: Programs designed for end-
users (e.g., Microsoft Office, web browsers).
❑ Utility Software: Performs maintenance tasks (e.g.,
antivirus software, disk management tools, WinZip).
❑ Embedded Software: Used in embedded systems
like car control systems, washing machines. 8
 Types of Software (3/3)
❑ Web-based Software: Hosted on servers and
accessed via web browsers (e.g., Gmail, Google
Docs).
❑ Open Source vs. Proprietary Software:
o Open Source: Software with source code available for
modification (e.g., Linux).
o Proprietary: Software owned by an individual or a
company with restrictions on modification and
distribution (e.g., Microsoft Windows). 9
Software Characteristics (1/1)

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Software Myths (1/1)

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Software Terminologies (1/1)

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 History of Software Design and
Development (1/4)
❑ Early Beginnings (1950s-1960s):
o The term "software engineering" was coined during
the 1968 NATO Software Engineering Conference.
o Focus was primarily on assembly language and
simple procedural programming.
o Development of early programming languages like
FORTRAN and COBOL.

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 History of Software Design and
Development (2/4)
❑ 1970s-1980s:
o Emergence of structured programming with
languages like C.
o Introduction of Waterfall Model by Winston Royce in
1970.
o Object-oriented programming began gaining traction
with the development of languages like Smalltalk.

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 History of Software Design and
Development (3/4)
❑ 1990s-2000s:
o Rise of Agile methodologies in response to the
inflexibility of the Waterfall model.
o Development of the Unified Modeling Language
(UML).
o Rapid growth in the use of the Internet and web-
based applications.

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 History of Software Design and
Development (4/4)
❑ 2010s-Present:
o Emphasis on DevOps practices, continuous
integration, and continuous delivery.
o Growth of cloud computing, microservices, and
containerization.
o Increased focus on cybersecurity in software
development.

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Software Development Principles (1/3)
 Modularity: Break down software into smaller,
manageable modules.
 DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself): Avoid code
duplication by abstracting common logic.
 KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid): Simplify design and
avoid unnecessary complexity.
 YAGNI (You Ain't Gonna Need It): Avoid adding
functionality until it's necessary.
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Software Development Principles (2/3)
 SOLID Principles:
 Single Responsibility Principle: Each class should
have only one reason to change.
 Open/Closed Principle: Software entities should be
open for extension but closed for modification.
 Liskov Substitution Principle: Objects should be
replaceable with instances of their subtypes.

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Software Development Principles (3/3)
 Interface Segregation Principle: No client should be
forced to depend on methods it does not use.
 Dependency Inversion Principle: Depend on
abstractions, not on concrete implementations.

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Software Development Qualities (1/1)

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 Software Engineering (1/3)
• Software engineering is the systematic application of
engineering approaches to the development of
software.
• Software engineering is the systematic design and
development of software products and the
management of the software process.

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 Software Engineering (2/3)
• It encompasses all aspects of software production,
from the early stages of system specification to
maintaining the system after it has gone into use.
• It has as one of its primary objectives the production
of programs that meet specifications, and are
demonstrably accurate, produced on time, and within
budget.

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Software Engineering (3/3)

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Key Characteristics of Software
Engineering (1/1)

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History of Software Engineering (1/1)
⚫ The 1960s Crisis: Software projects started to fail
due to the complexity, leading to the need for a more
structured approach.
⚫ NATO Conference, 1968: The term "Software
Engineering" was first coined at this conference,
addressing the need for better software development
processes.

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Need for Software Engineering (1/3)
 Changes in requirement: With frequent changes in the
business requirements and the environment, a properly
documented and well-defined system of software
development is required which makes it eminent to use
Software Engineering.
 Large and complex software: With large and complex
software, it becomes difficult to handle the software
product but with the concept of software engineering, it
is comparatively easier to build and manage them.
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Need for Software Engineering (2/3)
 Scalability: Scalability is used to describe the ability
of the software to grow and manage according to the
increasing demand of the market.
 Adaptability: It also helps in creating software that is
adaptable to the changing needs of software usage
efficiently.
 Quality assurance: Ensures that software meets
functional and non-functional requirements.
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Need for Software Engineering (3/3)
 Cost and time efficiency: Reduces costs and time
through systematic planning and execution.
 Risk management: Identifies potential risks early and
implements strategies to mitigate them.
 To reduce the time: When software engineering
concepts are employed, proper development process
and tools are used that makes it possible to develop
the software within the time-lines.
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Attributes of Software Engineering (1/2)

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Attributes of Software Engineering (2/2)

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Key Principles of Software Engineering
(1/1)

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Roles in Software Engineering (1/1)

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Software Engineering Tools and
Environments (1/1)

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Software Engineering Challenges (1/1)

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Emerging Trends in Software
Engineering (1/1)

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 Conclusion (1/1)
• Software engineering continues to evolve,
incorporating new methodologies, tools, and
technologies to meet the growing demands of the
software industry.
• As technology advances, software engineering will
play a critical role in shaping the future of computing
and digital solutions.

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 Reading Lists (1/1)
1. Software Engineering by Ian Sommerville, 7th edition,
Addison-Wesley, 2006.
2. Software Engineering: A practitioner's approach by
Roger S. Pressman, 6th edition, McGraw-Hill
International edition, 2005.

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