Since we’ve had computers, we’ve had programs running on them. But what these programs look like, as well as how they are written, has changed drastically over the short period we’ve had electronic digital computers. It can be helpful to review this evolution before we delve into software engineering as a discipline, because this storied history has an immense impact on how software is created.

Key Terms

Some key terms to learn in this chapter are:

• Software Engineering
• Programming Paradigms
  • Structured
  • Object-Oriented
  • Functional
  • Logic
• The Software Crisis