Questions tagged [software-engineering]

Research on methods and techniques to ensure the utility and quality of software systems through design and development processes.

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72 views

An approach to discover parameterised patterns in arbitrary strings

Expanding on Question 79182 I am sure there must be an active area of research for deriving parameterised patterns. What I am looking for is something like - given the input ...
5 votes
4 answers
2k views

What's role of software verification in modern software engineering

There are standard courses in computer science faculties that teach software verification, yet modern software products (Operating Systems especially) require periodic updates and bugs are constantly ...
5 votes
2 answers
508 views

What different lines of reasoning and traditions lead to the conclusion that Software Engineering is or isn't part of Computer Science?

Background: Some people consider Software Engineering as a branch of Computer Science, while others consider that they are, or should be, separate. The former stance seems to be well presented in ...
1 vote
2 answers
33 views

Name of class of errors where the real state differs from the recorded state?

Is there a name for the class of software errors that arise from the fact that the software believes something wrong about the state of the world? (Allow me a bit of anthropomorphization of software, ...
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24 views

Algorithmic Information Approximation As Software Surface Minimization

Can putting information systems through a "functional bottleneck" to approximate their Algorithmic Information reduce their attack and argument surfaces substantially? Software surface may ...
2 votes
1 answer
101 views

Applications of ω-automaton in engineering

Finite automaton is a well-known topic which finds applications in software engineering (e.g. pattern matching or regular expressions in general). ω-automaton are another kind of automaton, defined ...
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Evaluate under Hoare logic

Evaluate WP(a = i + 2; i=i+1, ((a=6)^(i=5)) WP(x=x+1,y=y-1. (xxy>0)) wp(if x > 2 then y = 1 else y = -1,(x > 0)) wp(while n <> 0 do n:=n-1; n = 10) wp(while n = 0 do n:=n-1; n=-10) wp(...
-1 votes
1 answer
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Question Regarding Design Constraints in Software Engineering Exam

I recently had a software engineering exam, and there's a particular question that's causing some confusion between my professor and me. I'd like to get some insights from the community to better ...
0 votes
1 answer
53 views

Could there be a computer or components based on a non-classical logic?

Since circuits and processors are heavily influenced and designed based upon boolean logic, which is itself a subset of propositional logic, could there be different interpretations of hardware or ...
2 votes
1 answer
105 views

What is the closest theory to "The theory of code refactoring"?

We refactor code lots of times as developers. Metaphorically, our program space is an infinite-dimensional Rubik's cube. Things can be rearranged, preserving the code's action, so a "symmetry ...
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25 views

Practical applications of finite model theory to databases

I have heard that finite model theory has connections to database theory. Is there an example of where this database theory could be used by programmers developing database applications?
4 votes
2 answers
185 views

Empirical studies about benefits of Q&A sites for programming

I'm looking for empirical papers which investigate if a user can benefit from Q&A sites like Stack Overflow. I welcome any papers related to this topic, e.g: an experiment, investigating if a ...
0 votes
1 answer
35 views

Is there an algorithm for mapping two ambiguous and unrelated data sets?

I was curious to see whether or not there was a common algorithm for mapping two unrelated data sets. So for example let's say I wanted to give you a spirit animal based on your name, birthday, zodiac ...
1 vote
4 answers
324 views

Software or program, what is the difference?

I am a CS student. When I first came to school, I thought that programming was to make a software. Now I found I was wrong. Now I want to know what the difference is, and what is the difference ...
4 votes
2 answers
2k views

what are all the domains of computer sciences?

Im trying to build my own learning track Currently I am working on becoming a unity developer to make game or whatever is needed. I use C# within the system. I don't feel satisfied just working ...
1 vote
1 answer
132 views

What are the minimum functions, services, or features of a software to be called as an operating system?

When can we say that a software is an operating system and not a firmware, in terms of what it can do? I know that firmware is usually stored in ROM and OS is stored on HDD/SSD, but technically you ...
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2 answers
88 views

Best starter resources for learning about Reverse Engineering?

I would want to start learning reverse engineering (Software and Hardware Projects), but I don't know from where to start. Will be grateful for online resources and/or books. Thanks.
2 votes
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How realistic of a concern is data corruption?

Similar to this question, but I wanted to be more specific to my real-world situation. I am a college software engineer currently working on a project that involves a large number of read cycles. ...
1 vote
3 answers
107 views

Do modern computers prevent instructions being executed by audio? If so, how?

Most know that early phones and modems, and still, fax machines, sent information through the use of tones. This got me thinking - could audio be a viable vector for executing instructions by a bad ...
2 votes
4 answers
1k views

Why was the fast inverse square root algorithm so ingenious?

In 2005 ID software open source the game Quake 3 Arena. When they did it was discovered was an algorithm that was so ingenious and all it did was calculate the inverse of a square root. The easy way ...
-2 votes
1 answer
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Could an application capture and log a user's actions on another 3rd party software. If yes, how?

Could an application be built such that it could track a user's actions on a particular software and log them? For example, could an application track a user's actions on MS Word, noting down when the ...
2 votes
1 answer
568 views

How to translate automatons (Turing machines) into programs of high level programming language?

Every program in high level ("industrial") programming language can be expressed as some Turing machine. I guess, that there exists universal algorithm for doing that (e.g. one can take the ...
1 vote
0 answers
15 views

Asking for references on errors, testing, system failures etc

I am looking for references that talk about the following subject: Software programs are in general complex systems. That is, if we decompose them into components and we make sure that each component ...
1 vote
2 answers
91 views

Practice of setting parallelism as the default behaviour

This is a soft, and probably also an opinion based question. Suppose I am writing a library in C++ for the purposes of working with financial data. My goals are: Since I work with big data, I want to ...
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20 views

How come code re-usability is a benefit of Bottom-Up software development?

Re-usability of code is one of the main benefits of the bottom-up approach (Wikipedia) I can't quite figure out how bottom-up approach enables code re-usability. I am aware that Object Oriented ...
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Estimating memory footprint of a C program (and programs in a scripting language using bindings to a C library)

I wanted to test the feasibility of an idea that might be part of a small project, and I'm trying to set up a quick prototype using Python (with bindings to a C library). If any of this is sufficient ...
0 votes
2 answers
116 views

A question regarding the Layered Architecture

Consider the following general form of a layered architecture : I need to check my understanding about the second layer from top . More specifically I need to check my understanding the regarding ...
2 votes
1 answer
45 views

Subclass specification

From http://web.mit.edu/6.031/www/fa19/classes/12-interfaces-enums/#implementing_generic_interfaces "That means B is only a subtype of A if B’s specification is at least as strong as A’s ...
-1 votes
3 answers
54 views

Which topics of mathematics should I need to learn to be a good app developer?

I'm 29 years old. I couldn't continue my studies after grade 10 due to some financial issues and I didn't have time to practice mathematics. It's been more than 11 years since I left studies. Now I ...
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0 answers
28 views

Can coded information be copied?

Could a large quantity of coded information (let's say 10,000 GB) be copied from one storage device to another without first being decoded? If so, how long would something like that take?
-4 votes
2 answers
191 views

Is computer science pointless

For example, in real life, you're working with real time data that is constantly appended to. Computer science assumes a static problem, like traveling salesman. In reality you would start with a set ...
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22 views

Can I show that project scheduling is a type of programming or something similar?

Project schedules are made of activities, durations associated with each activity, and relationships between activities (SS, SF, FS, FF) with a lag (can be positive, negative, or 0). Let's say I have ...
1 vote
1 answer
381 views

How does computer memory store the file name?

I have this doubt for long time. When i save a notepad file, it takes the memory for the information in the file. let's say, I type 'ABC' in notepad and saved the filename as stack, it shows that the ...
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1 answer
250 views

How a Data Compression Software Reads a File as pure Binary File and makes Output?

I have an hybrid compression technique I want to implement, my implementation is (so far): I can encode a string into a encoded compressed string. These are binary strings. For example, I read texts ...
1 vote
1 answer
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Interrupts and polling

Are Interrupts really just an abstracted form of polling? I saw a system-file-watcher library that stated it used polling, as opposed to listening for events. Is the .NET framework SystemFileWatcher ...
0 votes
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In what sense the computer program (Turing machine) can be considered as the complex system and its IIT Phi can be measured and improved?

I am reading https://global.oup.com/academic/product/a-world-beyond-physics-9780190871338?cc=us&lang=en& about one approach of complex systems' theory for the emergence of the life. It is ...
4 votes
0 answers
128 views

Is there a OSI model equivalent for describing the abstract layers present in performing a computation for an operating system?

In describing where a system vulnerability exists, I often find a need for a model that partitions a operating system and its components into abstraction layers. Similar to how the Open Systems ...
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0 answers
16 views

Can specific programs or software be ascertained from the hardware?

I having been thinking about software and hardware and their relationship. I am a layman and do not have specialized knowledge on the subject. I wondered whether if studying a particular hardware a ...
2 votes
1 answer
36 views

Names of power-of-two bit operations on bitsets that would not assume any number interpretation

Three commonly used functions when it comes to bit manipulation are : is_pow2: Checking that an integer is a power-of-two (only one bit is set): $00010000 \...
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1 answer
138 views

How to Get Started in Computer Science [closed]

I am wondering how to get started in studying theoretical computer science and how to apply it to my programming. I am fairly comfortable with basic programming, having been programming in mainly C++ ...
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2 answers
50 views

Why do errors occur in programming? [closed]

I like to reduce the number of exceptions raised in my code, and I thought it might help to consider why these exception are raised in the first place, and whether they are a really a fundamental part ...
2 votes
1 answer
104 views

Single Input Single Output Sequential Circuit Explanation Required

I'm a student of Formal Methods in Software Engineering, I'm trying to study this question for two days but still haven't figured it out, I couldn't even find a similar solution or explanation, so ...
0 votes
1 answer
74 views

Introduction to computer science for ML [closed]

I have learned python syntax (from books like fluent python or python cookbook etc.) and I want to learn the underlying concepts of computer science (in an abtract way), do you have some books/courses ...
0 votes
1 answer
140 views

How does this example violate Liskov substitution principle, which then causes violation of the open-closed principle?

From Agile Principles, Patterns, and Practices in C# by Robert Martin, Listing 10-1. A violation of LSP causing a violation of OCP ...
3 votes
2 answers
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Reliability of a service

Assume that I need to determine the reliability of a service. The service includes component a (software reliability=0.95) and component b (software reliability=0.98). I have 2 computers: Computer A (...
1 vote
0 answers
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Route to Software Engineering [closed]

wondering if anyone can give me some advice. I’m 17 and just about to leave high school and Morgan Stanley have offered me a job as an analyst and said they’d pay for me to get a BSc degree in ...
2 votes
0 answers
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Why irreducibility is an important concept in Flow Graphs?

Here is a definition of reducible flow graphs : A flow graph is reducible if every retreating edge in any DFST for that flow graph is a back edge. And the reasons why we care about ...
1 vote
0 answers
52 views

How much of the x86 instruction set does blender use? [closed]

I'm trying to better understand benchmarks that are commonly used for computer hardware. I've been unable to find an answer to this question. Extra credit if you can provide a breakdown in ...
4 votes
2 answers
1k views

Suitability of high-level languages for embedded systems

Low-level languages have for a long time dominated the field of embedded systems due to their rapidity and flexibility. As high level languages are becoming faster and faster, might the situation get ...
1 vote
0 answers
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Software and hardware communications [closed]

When you install an OS on a piece of hardware such as a Macbook, what is happening logically? In other words, how does the software "talk" to the hardware? Is it the same logical process with every OS ...