[SIGCIS-Members] Programmer vs. coder vs. sofware developer vs. software engineer

Mon May 4 15:13:18 PDT 2020

I second Jim’s endorsement.  I would add to Bill’s comment that the distinction originally seems to have been that programmers understood the mathematics while coders understood subroutine calling sequences and memory overlays, both of which had to be done manually in the 1950s.  The distinction got muddied fast.  First, there were people who could do both.  Second, the industry started producing assemblers that handled much of details of setting up a subroutine call and overlaying memory.  Nathan’s work shows how this division gets much more intricate.

David

> On May 4, 2020, at 6:00 PM, James Cortada <jcortada at umn.edu> wrote:
> 
> Nathan is THE PERSON for your query.  You might also benefit from looking at the sociological literature on professions, which is getting pretty extensive right now.  It seems that "everyone" has been trying to upgrade their titles since the 1870s, and even more so with c.v. inflation since the 1990s.  Early on it was about legitimizing a new field in the eyes of the academics, later it was for increasing salaries, so, titles matter in many ways.  Jim Cortada
> 
> On Mon, May 4, 2020 at 4:51 PM Nathan Ensmenger <nathan.ensmenger at gmail.com <mailto:nathan.ensmenger at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Bill — I write quite a bit about the transition from coder —> programmer, and about the attempt to organize around the concept of software engineering in my book *The Computer Boys Take Over: Computers, Programmers, and the Politics of Technical Expertise.*   I agree that titles matter.   Since most libraries are closed at the moment, I will send you the most relevant chapters in a separate email. 
> 
> -Nathan 
> 
> --- 
> Nathan Ensmenger 
> Chair, Informatics 
> School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering 
> Indiana University, Bloomington 
> homes.soic.indiana.edu/nensmeng/ <http://homes.soic.indiana.edu/nensmeng/> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, May 4, 2020 at 12:47 PM McMillan, William W <william.mcmillan at cuaa.edu <mailto:william.mcmillan at cuaa.edu>> wrote:
> Hello, SIGCIS folks.
> 
> The ruminations below might have little scholarly importance, but I think the subject is interesting at least in regard to the culture of computing.
> 
> What do we call people who design and implement computer programs?
> 
> Nowadays, the term coder is used, maybe most often. My understanding is that this used to refer to the job of translating a detailed flow chart, which was created by a programmer, into an implementation language. I.e., the coder was sort of like a human compiler who translated a detailed algorithm into a computer language like Fortran, Cobol, or assembly language. The coder didn't design algorithms.
> 
> Later, the coder dropped out of the loop and a programmer implemented algorithms directly in a computer language (possibly after creating a flow chart or pseudo-code).
> 
> The term software developer has been used, possibly implying that the job is broader than just programming, including gathering requirements, testing, and integration with existing systems.
> 
> Starting in the late 1960s, the title software engineer became common. At least initially, this implied a very broad scope, as well as specialized training in requirements analysis, system design, programming style, verification and validation, risk assessment, maintenance techniques, UI design, and other aspects of software development. I believe that Texas even licenses professional engineers in software engineering, and a detailed curriculum has been defined:
> https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/education/se2014.pdf <https://www.acm.org/binaries/content/assets/education/se2014.pdf>
> 
> The title software engineer implied that the person at least had a solid university course specifically in software engineering, as well as a good foundation in computer science or information systems.
> 
> The term systems analyst sometimes implies a similar role, though it might mean something more akin to requirements analysis.
> 
> Currently, anyone who writes computer programs might identify as a software engineer, even if he or she has no background beyond computer programming. Companies use the title willy-nilly. This inflates the prestige of the job, I suppose.
> 
> At the same time, we call developers coders, which to me sounds like it deflates prestige.
> 
> What professionals call themselves does matter. If a medical assistant calls himself a physician, the risks are obvious. If a physician (true software engineer) calls herself a technician (coder), then at least confusion results. Of course governments regulate the use of job titles in medical professions, while software development as it exists today is very libertarian.
> 
> Has there been much consideration of the common use of job titles in the history of computing? Certainly there's been a lot of work in the history of software engineering, programming, systems analysis, etc., but I'm asking about the use and misuse of job titles by individuals and organizations.
> 
> Thanks.
> Bill
> 
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> This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org <http://sigcis.org/>, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ <http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/> and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org <http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org>
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> -- 
> James W. Cortada
> Senior Research Fellow
> Charles Babbage Institute
> University of Minnesota
> jcortada at umn.edu <mailto:jcortada at umn.edu>
> 608-274-6382
> _______________________________________________
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