Beyond Programming To a Ne Era of Design [Hardcover]

This book provides a unique examination of the software development process, arguing that discipline, still dominated by methods conceived in the framework of older technologies, must undergo a fundamental reexamination of its guiding principles in order for significant progress to take place. To gain fresh insights into how we ought to direct future research, the author begins with a search for first principles. The book begins with an exploration of the scientific foundations of computer technology, then examines design from the perspective of practitioners. The book also offers a critique of the methods employed in software development and an evaluation of an alternate paradigm that has been used successfully for 14 years. The concepts reviewed here comprise a set of core readings for understanding the research and development challenges that will confront computer technology in the 21st century and will be of great interest to computer science researchers and educators, graduate students, and software engineers.

1. In the Tradition
2. The Philosophy of Science
3. Discovery and Design
4. Foundation for Design
5. Problem Solving
6. Activity, Reflection, Context
7. The Design Process
8. Participatory Design
9. The Software Process
10. Design Methods
11. Adaptive Design
12. A Case Study

The title does not do justice to the originality of the author's ideas, nor to the broad range of related subjects he considers, such as the philosophy of science, the relationship between science and technology, human problem solving, and so on. Such holistic books are rare, as are authors who combine a comprehensive outlook with a keen critical faculty . . . . Anyone involved with building software should read this book. --Computing Reviews

...a milestone book in the field of software engineering, one that will live long past the how-to and breakthrough books that currently fill the computing shelves.... -l$