Dear Shafagat, software engineering may be mainly programming, but like all scientists in this global era, software engineers need to have SOFT SKILLS as well as programming skills, besides many areas of basic sciences.  Thanks.  Have a good day.  It's our lunar new year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_skills

Actually not mainly, Shafagat - most industrial software applications necessitate millions of lines of code, which cannot be produced by any one programmer within reasonable delays, so that teams of developers are tasked with programming separate chunks of the app. Software engineering consists in large part in managing the interface between chunks that have been programmed by different people (so that there be little redundancies and no dislocations at the interfaces.)

Another part of SE is optimizing code, on the basis of acquired experience and 'rules'. Unlike, say, chemical engineering, there are no hard and fast laws in SE (you can even demonstrates that such laws are in principle impossible): there are many ways the same outcome can be reached, but not all such ways are equivalent, so a part of SE aims at optimizing coding on the basis of acquired experience.

Dear Shafagat, software engineering may be mainly programming, but like all scientists in this global era, software engineers need to have SOFT SKILLS as well as programming skills, besides many areas of basic sciences.  Thanks.  Have a good day.  It's our lunar new year. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_skills

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

"Software engineering

Software engineering is the study and an application of engineering to the design, development and maintenance of software.

Typical formal definitions of software engineering are:

• "research, design, develop, and test operating systems-level software, compilers, and network distribution software for medical, industrial, military, communications, aerospace, business, scientific, and general computing applications."
• "the systematic application of scientific and technological knowledge, methods, and experience to the design, implementation, testing, and documentation of software";
• "the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software";
• "an engineering discipline that is concerned with all aspects of software production";
• and "the establishment and use of sound engineering principles in order to economically obtain software that is reliable and works efficiently on real machines."".....

Please, see the link for detail.....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_engineering

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

"Top 10 Concepts That Every Software Engineer Should Know

A successful software engineer knows and uses design patterns, actively refactors code, writes unit tests and religiously seeks simplicity. Beyond the basic methods, there are concepts that good software engineers know about. These transcend programming languages and projects - they are not design patterns, but rather broad areas that you need to be familiar with. The top 10 concepts are:

Modern software engineering is sophisticated and powerful, with decades of experience, millions of lines of supporting code and unprecidented access to cloud computing. Today, just a couple of smart people can create software that previously required the efforts of dozens of people. But a good craftsman still needs to know what tools to use, when and why."....

Please, see the link for more information ....

http://readwrite.com/2008/07/22/top_10_concepts_that_every_software_engineer_should_know

Dear  @H Chris Ransford,

Thank you very much for intersting opinion.

Regards, Shafagat

"A software engineer is a licensed professional engineer who is schooled and skilled in the application of engineering discipline to the creation of software. A software engineer is often confused with a programmer, but the two are vastly different disciplines. While a programmer creates the codes that make a program run, a software engineer creates the designs the programmer implements. By U.S. law no person may use the title "engineer" (of any type) unless the person holds a professional engineering license from a state licensing board and are in good standing. A software engineer is also held accountable to a specific code of ethics."

By Vangie Beal

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/software_engineer.html

Dear @Hazim Hashim Tahir,

Thank you very much.

I share your point of view

Regards, Shafagat

Dear @Miranda Yeoh,

Thank you very much for answer.

Regards, Shafagat

Software engineering is a field of Computer science, for designing and writing programs for computers or other electronic devices. A software engineer, or programmer, writes software (or changes existing software) and compiles software using methods that make it better quality.

Dear @Subhash C. Kundu,

Thank you very much for interesting opinion and functional schem

Regards, Shafagat

Dear @Seyed Mehdi Mohammadizadeh,

Thank you very much for useful answer.

Regards, Shafagat

Software engineering is program eccentric discipline , with other interface disciplines right from informatics to robotics.  

Testing which may be manual is another skill required for SE.

They also used to develop interfacing environment to handle any real life problem to ease human works. 

Software engineering is wide and deals with Objects, Modeling, Data base, Project Management, it also covers areas such as Artificial intelligence, multi media, data warehousing, mining, communications and networking etc.,

Example - http://www.aui.ma/en/sse/graduates/msse.html

Dear @Krishnan Umachandran,

Thank you very much for information and att.file.

Regards, Shafagat

Dear @Lawrence Broxmeyer, MD,

Thank you very much for opinion.

Regards, Shafagat

Some students (and even teachers) think so. In practice they "hard hit" because it is often necessary to know something about the "technical reality" of the solved problems.

I share Seyed quoted view, but I would also put into greater context the role of software engineering. While computer science is in charge of advancing and providing the science to computing, its implementation has been haphazard in nature. This is owed to the great influence exerted by business objectives that are required to respond with progressive speed and agility. Programmers are not given enough time to reflect on design principles and are forced to code without any principled organization. This may cost money and even be life threatening. The lack of organization is also evidenced by the growing lack of code reuse.

My view is that the objective of software engineering is to try to organize the existing body of computing  knowledge into a set of core principles that can be applied to efficient software implementations.It is also charged with the integration of the new techniques developed by computer science into a logical framework. This framework will allow computer applications to grow in complexity and still be manageable. In this way the field  may continue to provide applications in a reliable and consistent manner.

"The engineering field has taken on many new disciplines as our scientific knowledge has grown. The latest discipline is software engineering. According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), software engineering means applying the principles of engineering to the software development field. Software engineering differs from other branches of engineering in that professionals are building an intangible structure and not a tangible one. Since software is embedded in the machines used in various industries, though, malfunctioning software can actually have tangible effects. With software used in everything from medical equipment to airplanes, the end result of faulty software can indeed be loss of life...."

Follow this link for more information:

http://www.softwareengineerinsider.com/articles/what-is-software-engineering.html#.VriR5xh95dg

Not always true but sometimes. They are also like technocrats, scientists, etc..

Software Engineering is an approach to developing software that attempts to treat it as a formal process more like traditional engineering than the craft that many programmers believe it is.

http://cplus.about.com/od/thebusinessofsoftware/a/softwareeng.htm

Software Engineering is associated with the design, development and maintenance of computer applications. Software Engineering tools are based on algorithms, logic, math as well as accessing hardware certain user interface media.

Thanks and best regards.

Software engineering is not only programming but programming is one of phases which are performed in entire process of software engineering.

I agree with Dr Miranda

It is  very effective if  software engineering is  associated with  other multidisciplinary  studies, where direct  correlation  of  both fields is  possible.  I practiced such a connection duringg  all  my research career.

Software Engineering concerned with how to design and develop the principles and rules for the construction of a particular system or certain solution to the problem.

I'm not a specialist or an author. As a user of various softwares, I appreciate the effectiveness and prefer simplicity operation. Also, it's nice, when the software is intuitive, when I do not have often to look in the manual.

FOLDOC (Free On-Line Dictionary Of Computing) defines "software engineering" as follows:

"A systematic approach to the analysis, design, implementation and maintenance of software. It often involves the use of CASE tools. There are various models of the software life-cycle, and many methodologies for the different phases."

http://foldoc.org/software%20engineering

'Programming' (commonly understood as 'coding') is the least important part of the story.

Beyond all theoretical approaches and paradigms, designing architectures, interfaces, data structures etc. is the magic making your system/software fly or limp.

I'm taking pride in writing as little code as possible to achieve a task given, at the same time striving highest possible performance.

Software engineering consists only of programming?

Software engineering is beyond programming - software engineering refers to applying engineering principles to the field of software development (including programming) which encompasses various software e.g. ranging from Operating Systems to end user applications development processes, approaches, techniques, tools used, their operations & maintenance as well as roles & responsibilities of software engineers.

There is a conceptual difference between 'programming' and 'software engineering'.

Programming involves writing of a complete program whereas Software Engineering may include

 - writing a software component that will be combined with components written by other software engineers to build a system.

 - the software component developed may be modified by others.

 - the software component developed may be used by others to build different versions of the system long after one has left the project. 

Therefore, programming is primarily a personal activity whereas software engineering is essentially a team activity. It can well be said that programming is just one aspect of software engineering. 

In software engineering, first you have to analyze the requirements of project which are going to design, then you have to give a proper architecture and design. after design phase you have to develop the software and final stage is its testing phase. all these phases has further tools,techniques and theories, you should study all these then you will come to know how it works. this book will help you a lot .. "Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach".

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

"What does a Computer Software Engineer do? Could you give me a description of the field?

Computer software engineers apply the principles and techniques of computer science, engineering, and mathematical analysis to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and the systems that enable computers to perform their many applications.

Software engineers are involved in the design and development of many types of software, including software for operating systems and network distribution, and software for compilers (which convert programs for execution on a computer). In programming, or coding, software engineers instruct a computer, line by line, how to perform a desired function. Software engineers must possess strong programming skills, but are often more concerned with developing algorithms and analyzing and solving programming problems than with actually writing code.

Typically software engineers, working in applications or systems development, analyze first the needs of the user. They then design, construct, test, and maintain computer applications software or systems to meet these needs.

Computer Applications Software Engineers

Computer applications software engineers analyze user needs and design, construct, and maintain general computer applications software or specialized utility programs. These engineers use different programming languages, depending on the purpose of the program. The programming languages most often used are C, C++, and Java, with Fortran and COBOL used less commonly. Some software engineers develop both packaged systems and systems software, or create customized applications.

Computer Systems Software Engineers

Computer systems software engineers coordinate the construction and maintenance of a company's computer systems and plan their future growth. Working with the company, they coordinate each department's computer needs - such as ordering, inventory, billing, and payroll recordkeeping - and make suggestions about the appropriate technical direction. The engineers also might set up the company's intranets, namely the networks that link computers within the organization and ease communication among the various departments.

Systems software engineers work for companies that configure, implement, and install complete computer systems. These engineers may be members of the marketing or sales staff, serving as the primary technical resource for sales workers and customers. They may also be involved with technical support to the company's customers. Since the selling of complex computer systems often requires substantial customization for the purchaser's organization, software engineers help to explain the requirements necessary for installing and operating the new system in the purchaser's computing environment. One of the major responsibilities of systems software engineers is ensuring a proper level of security across the systems they are configuring."....

Please, see the link....

http://tryengineering.org/ask-expert/what-does-computer-software-engineer-do-could-you-give-me-description-field

an engineering discipline that is concerned with all aspects of software production. Prgramming is heart of discipline.

There are many issues except programming. Actually you need first to be able to communicate by using the existing network architect and then you will be able to write and execute your desired kind of code.

Shafagat Mahmudova: Software engineering in my account, is a discipline which currently converge with other disciplines of knowledge, including social communication and psychology, as a result of the emergence of social networks. While programming is the heart of the discipline, along with other basic sciences, their products have a social destination, which requires incorporating from the early stages of programming the social and communication aspects of end users. Best Regard, Colina

Software engineering is simply the application of engineering to software which indicates application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software. Software development does not necessarily require a degree in engineering (e.g. my cousin has MSc in computer science but he developed software during his studies "in Texas, U.S.A" and afterwards). My brother, who is a computer engineer, develops software besides his experience in hardware.

Dear Colleagues,

Good Day,

"Why software engineers will be best marketing technologist in a digital world

Going to the next level, I believe that in a technology driven marketing world software engineers are poised to be the best marketing technologist and here is why?

Why?

Hands-on

Skeptical

Practical

Pragmatic

Programmatic

Test-driven

Data-driven

Agile

Problem-solvers

Creative

Technical

Learner"......

Please, see the original article for detail...

http://abhishek-tiwari.com/post/why-software-engineers-will-be-best-marketing-technologist-in-a-digital-world

Papers like about the book is self-centered and content-driven content for college books as PNU ????

Software Engineering is a diverse field offering a wide range of opportunities for students.  Software Engineers define requirements, design system architecture, and write and test code as part of the software development life cycle.  Professionals in this field are in demand in a wide range of industries, including software companies, financial services, defense contractors, interactive entertainment, health services and more.  Software Engineering has consistently been ranked one of the top jobs in the US, with high growth potential.

http://www.rit.edu/emcs/programoverviews/home/computing-information-sciences/item/software-engineering-bs

Mostly, software engineering is just computer programming.

Conventional wisdom in software engineering is to design for change. It is worth spending time and effort anticipating changes as this reduces costs later in the life cycle.

http://www.cs.ccsu.edu/~stan/classes/cs530/slides/se-17.pdf

Dears

Software Engineering is a branch of sience

Software Engineering consists of programming, but there is much more to that discipline.  Understanding how to design computer programs/software that are a component of a larger, more complex system is a part of software engineering.  Understanding how programming language features can be used to facilitate (or frustrate) programming objectives are a part of software engineering.  Understanding how to select a programming language(s), how to integrate and interface different programming languages together in a single system or a federated (distributed) 'system of systems' is also a part of software engineering.  Development of meta design, pseudo code, or structured design and analysis of programming languages is a part of software engineering.  Design of programming languages themselves (including standards for use, libraries, etc.) is also a part of software engineering.  Software engineering also includes the documentation, testing, quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC), life-cycle maintenance, and re-engineering of software.  Given the fact that most usable systems, machines, and operations are controlled by or influenced by programming languages, software engineering is also a tool by which systems engineering and systems integration objectives are imposed onto the design, and operation of a system(s).  This is what I have observed over more than 30 years of being a software engineer and using software engineering in my work in different contexts (academic, industrial, and government).

Not only programming.  1) The software must be correctly specified using requirements engineering. 2) The software must be tested against the requirements to ensure the correct implementation. 3) The software must included under a configuration control system to ensure it is retrievable. 4) The software must have quality in your product and processes.

Dear @Johnny Marques ,

Thank you very much for answer.

Regards, Shafagat

Programming might be one aspect of Software Engineering.......However, it guides  developers throughout the development process using software development life cycle. Main focus of software engineering is to prepare designs, testing codes, finding cost effective measures...etc...  

Software Engineering is not just about programming, it is the process of designing, if properly done, with contain objects that, collectively, make up your overall application.

Typically, software designs are undertaken with DFDs / class / object diagrams and a host of other tools that provide visibility over what you intend to do with your language of choice (whatever the RTE).

Programming only begins when you have all but sorted out your architecture. Engineering cannot be undertaken without prior planning of what you hope to produce and what it all should contain. Larger the software, more imperative it becomes to properly engineer your architecture with concrete design.

So, software engineering is not just about programming, engineering without planning only leads to failure. Hope this helps.