Wadler's Blog

A joint study by The Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the British Computer Society. The authors include Tony Hoare and Martyn Thomas.

"This study was undertaken by a group of Fellows of The Royal Academy of Engineering, the British Computer Society (BCS) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The group focussed on how greater professionalism could be brought to bear on the tasks of specifying, procuring or developing software-based IT systems."

The report comes down strongly in favour of promoting chartered engineer status for IT professionals (which is currently rarely found in practice). The introduction notes university courses should reflect "the fact that most developments involve modifying or interfacing with pre-existing software." The conclusion points out "Testing is not enough" and "Errors should no longer be regarded as inevitable".