Encyclopedia of Software Engineering. Volumes I & II

Covering all aspects of the software development process, this two-volume set is the most comprehensive general reference on the topic available. Compiled from articles written by acclaimed experts in the field, the text is organized to provide broad overviews, as well as specifics on current practice, history, and future projections of all aspects of software engineering.

The term software engineering is relatively new, coined in 1968 at a NATO conference in Germany. It literally means any application of engineering to software in its broadest sense. In the last 26 years there have been many developments in this field, resulting in this encyclopedia, which places concepts and terms in proper perspective. There is some overlap with the field of computer science. The editors, however, state that the intention was not to limit what is included, but rather be inclusive so long as the information helps in the understanding of software engineering. They have accomplished this goal very well.

The encyclopedia has some 165 alphabetically arranged major articles, each written by an international authority. The topics include Acquisition Management, CASE, Data Rights, Design of Distributed Systems, Hypertext, Privacy and Security, Project Management, Software Reliability Theory, UNIX, and Viruses. These are scholarly articles that provide detailed discussions of two to twenty pages, ending with extensive bibliographies. Illustrations, charts, and schematics enhance the text. There are, in addition, more than 100 brief definitions of terms from IEEE's Standard Glossary of Software Engineering Terminolgy. Biographical sketches of prominent individuals in the software engineering field are also included with bibliographies of their major publications. There are numerous cross-references, and an index to both volumes is included in each volume.

For the college student, this would be an excellent source since it brings together software engineering terms and concepts that now appear in many sources. For software engineers, practitioners, and managers, these articles will provide varying levels of usefulness, depending on the background of each individual. All will find the articles informative, placing each topic in a historical context. This is a recommended work for large public libraries and all academic libraries that support programs in engineering and computer science.