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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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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?
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Reference request: Domain specific language, runtime, virtual machine design and implementation
I'm a working software engineer who is interested in programming language design and I want to try to implement a simple DSL as an exercise and a side project. I want to apply for grad school in this ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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.
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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?
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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 ...
user127262
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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 ...
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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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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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 ...
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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 ...
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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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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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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 ...
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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. ...
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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
...
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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 ...
user99918
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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 (...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Storing a playlist as plain text file
What are the disadvantages of storing a playlist as plain text in a text file?
This is what I thought:
The main disadvantage of storing the play list as plain text is its simplicity. The basic ...
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Best way to make the jump from programming to computer science
I have decent enough experience with programming to be able to tackle most things but I want to know how you recommend making the jump from just programming to computer science. I still have a couple ...
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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 ...
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What is cyclomatic complexity and how relevant it is today? [closed]
I have read that cyclomatic complexity is widely used, but critique on it exists
claimed that it is based on poor theoretical foundations and an
inadequate model of software development.
I have read ...
user82290
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Which "entity" is working at more deeper level than Characters of a program?
It is commonly told that, while we write a program, we input with our language (A, B, C, D etc), whom computer translates into machine language into machine language made up of Zero (0) or switch off ...
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Revolutions in Computer Science [closed]
TL;DR
What revolutions have there been in computer science, which entirely changed our view about the subject, due to 'one way of thinking' being replaced by 'a new (incompatible) way of thinking' (...
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A/B testing for Canary releases
I am a statistician by training, so am not too familiar with the computer science literature. One of the engineers at the firm I work at told me about problems with A/B testing in Canary releases.
I ...
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Trends in size of computer programs
Everyone knows code bloat is a real thing, of course.
Everyone knows that programs are getting bigger too (this may be nothing to do with 'bloat' of course - they are more sophisticated, safer or ...
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Complete list of IEEE Software "Voice of Evidence" articles?
This month the IEEE Software magazine has published the article Voice of Evidence: A Look Back. This is a kind of impact analysis of the Voice of Evidence (VoE) series of articles.
As you know, these ...
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What is the theory behind testing fixes for intermittent bugs?
I ask this question because I deal with alot of intermittent bugs and want to be able to answer the question "Can I be at least 95% sure that my changes to the code fix the bug?". I've got some ideas ...
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is-child-of, is-instance-of as intensional and extensional inheritance relation - is object-oriented modelling an great oversimplification?
I am trying to build knowledge base in OpenCog cognitive architecture (http://wiki.opencog.org/w/The_Open_Cognition_Project) and I see that OpenCog lacks usual means to express notions of object-...
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