Difference between revisions of "Chapter 13: Computing Foundations"
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+ | {{IntroSection|title=Breakdown of Topics for Computing Foundations|body= | ||
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+ | The breakdown of topics for the Computing | ||
+ | Foundations KA is shown in Figure 13.1.}} | ||
+ | [[File:Breakdown of Topics for the Computing Foundations KA.jpg|thumb|400px|frame|Figure 13.1: Breakdown of Topics for the Computing Foundations KA]] |
Revision as of 17:40, 27 August 2015
- AOP
- Aspect-Oriented Programming
- ALU
- Arithmetic and Logic Unit
- API
- Application Programming Interface
- ATM
- Asynchronous Transfer Mode
- B/S
- Browser-Server
- CERT
- Computer Emergency Response Team
- COTS
- Commercial Off-The-Shelf
- CRUD
- Create, Read, Update, Delete
- C/S
- Client-Server
- CS
- Computer Science
- DBMS
- Database Management System
- FPU
- Float Point Unit
- I/O
- Input and Output
- ISA
- Instruction Set Architecture
- ISO
- International Organization for Standardization
- ISP
- Internet Service Provider
- LAN
- Local Area Network
- MUX
- Multiplexer
- NIC
- Network Interface Card
- OOP
- Object-Oriented Programming
- OS
- Operating System
- OSI
- Open Systems Interconnection
- PC
- Personal Computer
- PDA
- Personal Digital Assistant
- PPP
- Point-to-Point Protocol
- RFID
- Radio Frequency Identification
- RAM
- Random Access Memory
- ROM
- Read Only Memory
- SCSI
- Small Computer System Interface
- SQL
- Structured Query Language
- TCP
- Transport Control Protocol
- UDP
- User Datagram Protocol
- VPN
- Virtual Private Network
- WAN
- Wide Area Network
The scope of the Computing Foundations knowledge area (KA) encompasses the development and operational environment in which software evolves and executes. Because no software can exist in a vacuum or run without a computer, the core of such an environment is the computer and its various components. Knowledge about the computer and its underlying principles of hardware and software serves as a framework on which software engineering is anchored. Thus, all software engineers must have good understanding of the Computing Foundations KA.
It is generally accepted that software engineering builds on top of computer science. For example, “Software Engineering 2004: Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Degree Programs in Software Engineering” [1] clearly states, “One particularly important aspect is that software engineering builds on computer science and mathematics” (italics added).
Steve Tockey wrote in his book Return on Software:
Both computer science and software engineering deal with computers, computing, and software. The science of computing, as a body of knowledge, is at the core of both. … Software engineering is concerned with the application of computers, computing, and software to practical purposes, specifically the design, construction, and operation of efficient and economical software systems. Thus, at the core of software engineering is an understanding of computer science.
While few people will deny the role computer science plays in the development of software engineering both as a discipline and as a body of knowledge, the importance of computer science to software engineering cannot be overemphasized; thus, this Computing Foundations KA is being written.
The majority of topics discussed in the Computing Foundations KA are also topics of discussion in basic courses given in computer science undergraduate and graduate programs. Such courses include programming, data structure, algorithms, computer organization, operating systems, compilers, databases, networking, distributed systems, and so forth. Thus, when breaking down topics, it can be tempting to decompose the Computing Foundations KA according to these often-found divisions in relevant courses.
However, a purely course-based division of topics suffers serious drawbacks. For one, not all courses in computer science are related or equally important to software engineering. Thus, some topics that would otherwise be covered in a computer science course are not covered in this KA. For example, computer graphics—while an important course in a computer science degree program—is not included in this KA.
Second, some topics discussed in this guideline do not exist as standalone courses in undergraduate or graduate computer science programs. Consequently, such topics may not be adequately covered in a purely course-based breakdown. For example, abstraction is a topic incorporated into several different computer science courses; it is unclear which course abstraction should belong to in a course-based breakdown of topics.
The Computing Foundations KA is divided into seventeen different topics. A topic’s direct usefulness to software engineers is the criterion used for selecting topics for inclusion in this KA (see Figure 13.1). The advantage of this topic-based breakdown is its foundation on the belief that Computing Foundations— if it is to be grasped firmly—must be considered as a collection of logically connected topics undergirding software engineering in general and software construction in particular.
The Computing Foundations KA is related closely to the Software Design, Software Construction, Software Testing, Software Maintenance, Software Quality, and Mathematical Foundations KAs.
The breakdown of topics for the Computing Foundations KA is shown in Figure 13.1.