No matter what future we may envision, it relies on software that has not yet been written. Even now, software-intensive systems have woven themselves into the interstitial spaces of civilization, and we as individuals and as a species have slowly surrendered ourselves to computing. Looking back, we can identify several major and distinct styles whereby we have built such systems. In many ways, the entire history of software engineering can be seen as one of raising levels of abstraction. And yet, in each phase of this journey, there have been particular technical, social, and economic forces that have shaped each style, and even now act upon our field to shape its future. In this presentation, we will walk the landscape of how we have developed software-intensive systems, from the time when computers were human, to now, where we are crafting computers that act like humans. Along the way, we will present the technical details, but more importantly, highlight the stories of the people who made this work manifest.
Grady Booch is Chief Scientist for Software Engineering at IBM Research where he leads IBM’s research and development for embodied cognition. Having originated the term and the practice of object-oriented design, he is best known for his work in advancing the fields of software engineering and software architecture. A co-author of the Unified Modeling Language (UML), a founding member of the Agile Alliance, and a founding member of the Hillside Group, Grady has published six books and several hundred technical articles, including an ongoing column for IEEE Software. Grady is also a trustee for the Computer History Museum. He is an IBM Fellow, an ACM and IEEE Fellow, has been awarded the Lovelace Medal and has given the Turing Lecture for the BCS, and was recently named an IEEE Computer Pioneer. He is currently developing a major trans-media documentary for public broadcast on the intersection of computing and the human experience.
