soft-eng@MITRE.MITRE.ORG (Alok Nigam) (02/04/89)
Software Engineering Digest Friday, 3 Feb 1989
Volume 6 : Issue 4
Today's Topics:
Network Definition Language
Software Engineering Curriculum Survey
software cost estimation tools for IBM PC/AT/Clones
function points
Source level debuggers
- ------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 89 15:02:17 PST
From: PAAAAAR%CALSTATE.BITNET (Dick Botting)
Subject: Re: Network Definition Language
>Ifyou have heard of anything, even vaguely, related to this subject.
Burroughs used to have a language called "Network Definition Language"
to define their networks. They are now part of UNISYS of course.
Disclaimer: I heard about from two colleagues doing a job back in the '70's
in England.
(you did say "vaguely" didn't you!)
The objectives of being able to describe topology and non-functional
properties (including size, speed , reliabillity, etc...) were met
in a "Language" called PMS used by Bell and Newell in their block
buster survey of all forms of computer hardware of their time...
(the full ref escapes me).
In PMS stands for P=Processor, M=memory, S=Switch.
There is a very complete notation for
>embeding functional and non-quantifiable attributes
and a rudimentary way to show topology.
They expanded the notation to allow complete description of a CPU
with the PMS/ISP (Instruction Set Processor) notation.
Hope this helps....
- ------------------------------
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 89 18:09:17 PST
From: PAAAAAR%CALSTATE.BITNET (Dick Botting)
Subject: Software Engineering Curriculum Survey
During the last 10 years or so the "Computer Science" curriculum has
become cast in stone. It includes - Turing Machines, Data Structures(Pascal),
Languages, Structured Programming (Pascal), Calculus, Physics,
Operating systems, etc. This curiculum is now strongly enforced by several
USA organisations.
"Computer Engineering" and "Computer Information Systems" are
equally defined and controled:
- the first including Electronic Engineering
and the second including Accounting and Business.
I am interested in alternative College Level Computer Oriented Disciplines.
During the next 4 or 5 years something similar may happen to the area we call
Software Engineering.
I would like to get statement of goals and objectives for a 4 yr
Software Engineering Degree - from those who are in the field.
Suppose it is 4 years in the future - 1994.
You have been promoted.
You are recruiting someone to join your team of "Software Engineers".
The applicants all have a BS in
"Software Engineering".
- what skills and knowledge do they ALL have?
- what skills and knowledge do some of them have?
- what skills and knowledge do NONE of them have?
Here is a random sample of skills:
Coding programs in:
ADA/ALGOL/BASIC/C/C++/COBOL/csh/DBASEIII/Eiffel/Euler/FORTRAN/GAMMA
/HAL/ICON/JAVELIN/ksh/LISP/MODULA/Natural/OBERON/PASCAL/PL1/PROLOG/POP
/sh/Smalltalk/SNOBOL/SQL/TURING/Unknown/Visual/Windows/Xwindows/yacc/...
/All of the above
/None of the above
Designing programs using SP/OOPS/Top-down/Bottom-Up/HOS/JSP/JSD/...
Analyse Systems/requirements using SADT/SSSA/DeMarco/JSD/SSADM/....
Rapid Prototyping
Handling EMail
Soldering
Designing data bases
Designing Networks
Specifying/selecting/purchasing hardware/software/ADTs/Tools
Administrating a multiuser system
Systems Integration
Proving programs
Drawing DFDs
Interveiwing
Using MSDOS/UNIX/OS2/PICK/VMS/JCL/MVS/MacOS/MACH/....
Handling surveys and statistics
Using shell scripts and UNIX tools (awk,sed,greps,...)
Predicting the performance of a computer system
Writing compilers
Differentiating and integrating functions of n variables
Functional Decomposition
Structured Analysis and Design
Leading a Walkthru
Debugging a program
Doing Linear Algebra
Doing simple algebra and arithmetic
Drawing graphs of functions
Being able to define and calculate -
Entropy of data/MTBF/standard deviation/RMS/mean/median/...
Writing good English
Drawing correct circuit diagrams
Handling complex numbers
Solving ODEs
Modifying an operating system
Using a wordprocessor/spreadsheet/outliner/Database/Paint/Draw/...
Using a CASE system: Excelerator/Visivble Analysts/SilverRun/....
Using a PC/PS2/Mac/Sun/DEC/CYBER/...
etc
How many "Software Engineers" should be able to do these things?
Which should NO Software Engineer waste time learning?
What have I missed?
Please send me copies of responses and I will sumarise to the net
when the flow slows down...
Dr. Richard J. Botting,
Chair, Dept of Comp Sci., Cal State U, San Bernardino, CA 92407
In Calstate: PAAAAAR@CCS.CSUSCC.CALSTATE
On Bitnet: paaaaar@calstate.bitnet
>From Arpanet: PAAAAAR%CALSTATE.BITNET@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
- ------------------------------
Date: 31 Jan 1989 14:12:11 EST
From: Steve.McNally@TINY.DMCS.DND.CA
Organization: Software Kinetics, Ottawa, Canada (613) 831-0888
Subject: software cost estimation tools for IBM PC/AT/Clones
Regarding:
Does anyone know the names of any companies that produce software
cost estimation utilities that will run on an at-clone? I know that
one company has a product that implements the COCOMO model, but I
don't remember that name. Please send responses to plantz@nosc.mil
Our company, Software Kinetics, in Ottawa, Ontario Canada was
involved in a project to evaluate automated software cost estimation
models and to select and use 3 models to estimate the effort required
for operations and support (ie. maintenance) of all Naval operational
software for the Canadian Navy.
During this project, I conducted an extensive literature search for available
software cost estimation tools which could run on an IBM PC or clone.
I provide below a list of the models available, the vendors, their addresses
and phone numbers, and the ball-park cost below. Note, the cost data is
the most accurate I could attain at the time of our project, Feb-March 1988.
Contact the vendors for the exact current costs. Also, the licensing
arrangements vary considerably among the vendors - some are one time purchase
costs and others are leased on a yearly basis with lower costs for re-newal
in the second and subsequent years.
Personally, I would recommend the System-3 and SEER-SEM models as the most
complete, flexible, user-friendly, and accurate models. We choose Softcost-R
and System-3 for our project and developed our own version of intermediate
COCOMO using LOTUS-123.
Model Vendor Cost + ( date of costing )
- - ----- ------ --------------------------
COCOMO models
*************
PCOC Eclectic Systems $850 (Oct 86)
P.O. Box 3461
Torrance, California 90510
(213) 618-1132
WICOMO School of Information Technology $200 (Oct 86)
Wang Institute of Graduate Studies
Tyngsboro, MA 01879
(617) 649-9731
Jenson Model
************
System-3 Computer Economics, Inc. $9,550 ( Feb 88)
4560 Admiralty Way
Suite 109
Marina Del Rey, California 90292
(213) 827-7300
SEER-SEM Galorath Associates, Inc. $15,000 (Jun 88)
9920 LA Cienega Blvd, Suite 800
P.O. Box 11089
Marina Del Rey, California 90295
(213) 670-3404
Other Models
************
Softcost-R Reifer Consultants, Inc. $5,000 (Aug 88)
25550 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 208
Torrance, California 90505
(213) 373-8728
SPQR/20 Software Productivity Research $5,000 (Feb 88)
1972 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02140
P.O. Box 1033
(617) 495-0120
- - --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from:
Stephen Mc Nally arpa: mcnally@vms.skl.dnd.ca
Software Kinetics Limited voice: (613) 831-0888
65 Iber Road fax: (613) 831-1836
Stittsville, Ontario, Canada telex: 053-3827
K0A 3G0
- ------------------------------
Date: 1 Feb 89 16:45:21 GMT
From: manta!plantz@nosc.mil (Glen W. Plantz)
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego
Subject: function points
Does anyone have any information on current research relating languages
to function points?. Please send information to plantz@nosc.mil
- ------------------------------
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 89 15:12:45 EST
Subject: Source level debuggers
I am currently working on a project using the Unix V.3 on Intel
386-based CPU's. I need to have a useful debugger which will work
on such systems. It should be a source debugger ( I already have adb
and sdb ), and should be able to support the C language, although
support of other languages (C++, Pascal and Fortran) would be
desirable.
Anyone who has such a product available, or has used one, or
knows of any articles on the subject, or could even get me in touch
with someone who has first-hand information, can contact me using
any of the methods described below.
Thank you for your assistance.
Nash Panju ..!{attcan,lsuc,utzoo,watmath,parkridge}!hcr!nash
Technical Staff
HCR Corporation
130 Bloor Street West, Suite 1000
Toronto, Canada, M5S 1N5
(416) 922 1937 ext. 226
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End of Software Engineering Digest
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