jon@june.cs.washington.edu (Jon Jacky) (04/26/88)
> (Paraphrasing some earlier postings:) >> It seems many software engineers would rather work on SE tools than on >> applications... > Maybe that is because so many of the applications are weapons which are not > really very pleasant ... I think another important factor is that you get to use and enjoy SE tools, in general you do not get to use and enjoy weapons. I believe people are drawn into programming (and other kinds of engineering and technical work) because they like to build things and watch them work, and a lot of the rewards in this kind of career come from seeing something you have helped build being used. It is often the case that big weapons systems are never used, or you pray they never are. Many of their functions are hardly ever, or maybe never, even subjected to what you would consider a realistic live test. Sure, they test pieces of them in simulation or in test harnesses, but that's really not nearly as satisfying. - Jon Jacky, University of Washington