The Role of a Software Engineer and the Birth of Software Engineering

Finding the Difference: Between a Software Engineer and a Software Developer

A software engineer is a professional who applies engineering principles to the design, development, maintenance, testing, and evaluation of software and systems that make up software products. This differs significantly from the role of a software developer. A software developer is a person who creates and maintains software. They typically write code in various programming languages to create software applications, systems, and tools. They also debug and troubleshoot software issues and work with other team members to develop and improve software.

The Genesis of Software Engineering: An Unexpected Pioneer

The history of software engineering is often shrouded in mystery, yet it has a fascinating and unorthodox tale to tell. It might come as a surprise to most of today’s software engineers to learn that the founder of their discipline is a woman - Margaret Hamilton, a renowned mathematician and computer science pioneer.

How Margaret Hamilton Coined the Term 'Software Engineering'

Margaret Hamilton is credited with having coined the term 'software engineering' while developing the guidance and navigation system for the Apollo spacecraft. As the head of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory, Hamilton played a crucial role. She explains why she chose to call it 'software engineering':

"I fought to bring the software legitimacy so that it—and those building it—would be given its due respect and thus I began to use the term 'software engineering' to distinguish it from hardware and other kinds of engineering yet treat each type of engineering as part of the overall systems engineering process. When I first started using this phrase, it was considered to be quite amusing. It was an ongoing joke for a long time. They liked to kid me about my radical ideas. Software eventually and necessarily gained the same respect as any other discipline. "

The Apollo 11 Mission: A Milestone in Human History

The first human footsteps on the surface of the Moon were taken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969, during the Apollo 11 mission. The United States and USSR were in a race to reach the Moon, and both had failed several times. The famous Apollo 11 mission was truly monumental, and it wouldn't have been possible without the code written by Margaret Hamilton. She was the engineer responsible for writing the code that took humanity to the Moon.

The Early Life of Margaret Hamilton

Photograph of Margaret Hamilton taken in 1995

Margaret Hamilton was born on August 17, 1936, in Paoli, Indiana. After graduating from Hancock High School, she began her studies at Earlham College, where she earned her BA in mathematics in 1958. The young and talented woman was forced to suspend her education and work as a high school teacher to support her husband, who was studying law at Harvard.

Professional Journey: From Brandeis to MIT

Later, Margaret moved to Boston with the plan to obtain a degree in abstract mathematics at Brandeis University. In 1960, she joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an interim and worked on weather prediction software. After one year, Margaret was employed as one of the designers of the project SAGE (Semi-Automatic Ground Environment), an anti-aircraft defense program developed for military purposes.

The Apollo 11 Mission and Its Impact

She worked on SAGE from 1961 to 1963, proving herself as a very capable programmer. Due to her efforts, she was later invited to become part of the MIT team that worked on the development of the software used on the Apollo 11 mission. Her dedication and innovation were crucial in ensuring the success of this historic endeavor.