Software Engineering: Come and Gone?

via Heise: Tom DeMarco questions the idea of Software Engineering:

My early metrics book, Controlling Software Projects: Management, Measurement, and Estimation (Prentice Hall/Yourdon Press, 1982), played a role in the way many budding software engineers quantified work and planned their projects. In my reflective mood, I’m wondering, was its advice correct at the time, is it still relevant, and do I still believe that metrics are a must for any successful software development effort? My answers are no, no, and no.

In your face, quoters of "You can't control what you can't meaure"!

http://www2.computer.org/cms/Computer.org/ComputingNow/homepage/2009/0709/rW_SO_Viewpoints.pdf

Also see "Software Engineering ist eine Idee, deren Zeit gekommen und auch wieder gegangen ist." (in german). This is an interview with Tom DeMarco where he says basically the same.

An interesting read.