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Software Engineering with Objects and Components 2

This module runs in term 2, on Wednesdays at 12 in LT C and Fridays at 12 in 6301. It's available to fourth-year undergraduate and MSc students in the School of Computer Science.

Summary of course (warning: this is not a "guaranteed" list: although I believe its summary of examinable material to be complete, something not mentioned is not thereby made non-examinable. Its omission might be a mistake: if you notice something like this, tell me!)

Note on prerequisites

The CS3 course Software Engineering with Objects and Components 1 is prerequisite to this course. If you haven't done this, you need to cover on your own approximately Chapters 1 - 4, 5,7,9,11 of the course book, Using UML. If in doubt, consult me.

Syllabus of this module

Lecture/tutorial log of this module

Notes on the course tool, Argo/UML

About the Current Affairs slot (dormant through lack of interest!)

Notes, slides and papers, optional or compulsory reading

• Notes on Composite and design patterns (19/1/00) (compulsory reading) [there is something wrong with the picture in this and the file is huge: sorry]
• Draft article on patterns as a guide around some web sites (compulsory reading as background: you're not expected to be familiar with the content of the web sites mentioned, though!) (21/1/00)
• Notes on refactoring(21/1/00) (compulsory reading)
• Notes on methodologies (UP and XP) and architecture.(26-28/1/00) (compulsory reading)
• 10 sheets of notes on the design problems studied in week 4/5 (you need to understanding how the standard solutions (patterns) work and the key design issues involved)
• Notes on quality and quality assurance. (9-11/2/00) (compulsory reading)
• Notes on software configuration management (16/2/00) (compulsory reading)
• Demystifying Software Configuration Management (16/2/00) (compulsory reading)
• First part of notes on verification and validation (18/2/00) (compulsory reading)
• Second part of notes on verification and validation plus notes on management etc. (23-25/2/00) (compulsory reading)
• Project Risk Reduction Patterns by Alistair Cockburn (25/2/00) (compulsory reading, but examinable only in essence, not in detail)
• The Rational Planning of (Software) Projects by Mark C. Paulk (optional reading)
• Notes on reuse (1/3/00) (compulsory reading)

Coursework

• Coursework 1 due in by 9am Monday February 14th. Useful starting points for further info on Extreme Programming (for which the best single reference is probably this case study from Distributed Computing) and (Rational) Unified Process (for which the best single reference is probably Philippe Kruchten's introduction). Comments on exercise 1
• Coursework 2 due in by 10am Monday March 13th.

Past papers

(NB the syllabus has changed a lot over the years.)

• Academic year 95/96
• Academic year 96/97
• Academic year 97/98
• Academic year 98/99

Less or more relevant things on the Web

• The Dilbert Zone arguably the best place to learn software engineering
• The Perils of Analysis Note in particular the misuse of generalisation. Original from here, part of a variable quality collection.
• Bill Gates Dies in Car Accident : a moral tale
• Specifications Live Forever
• Heaviest Element So Far Discovered - Administratium
• If Architects Had To Work Like Programmers

Seriously though folks:

• CS Student Support Page (has some good links on writing and some starting points for research).
• What is Object-Oriented Software? a very short introduction
• My software engineering links page
• A basic page on design patterns.
• Tom Van Vleck's Software Engineering Stories
• Larry Paulson's slides on software engineering (local copy from Progamming Methodology pages which have lots of other useful links too)
• ACM-IEEE software engineering code of ethics
• Software Technology Interest Group homepage (lots of OO references)
• The home page of Staffordshire Uni's Object Technology Group which has some good links, especially to places with more links!
• WWW Virtual Library - Software Engineering good starting point, or try...
• Software Engineering Institute publications page
• NASA's Software Engineering Laboratory
• Software Quality HotList Exhaustive!
• Brad Appleton's home page -- a lot of good links here
• Quality Network UK a collection of mostly-UK links
• Ariane 5 Flight 501 Failure Report by the Inquiry Board
• Crosstalk "The Journal of Defense Software Engineering", often has good short articles on quality-related matters.
• Software Testing Industry site

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Perdita.Stevens@dcs.ed.ac.uk, JCMB room 1614, extn. 505195