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A Review of The Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering

by Kelly Richardson

Richard Glass, a software engineering professional, has expressed his views on software engineering programs and the jobs that they are required to perform in his book The Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering. Glass is a lifelong software engineer who has passed up a lucrative career in management to remain in a technical capacity. This has given him a level of credibility with the software engineering masses. His views are focused and opinionated as he discusses the ups and downs of the software engineering field.

The Meat of the Text: Looking at the Software Engineering Institute

The main portion of Glass’ book is broken up into groups that discuss the facts and fallacies of the software engineering institute of business. His comments are written in a professional voice with a touch of humor, making this a fast read. His views are specific and detailed, touching on the concepts and ideas close to the everyday software engineer’s heart.


Glass puts his 40 years of research and experience into what proves to be a very poignant and applicable work. He consistently shows both sides of the coin in an attempt to dispel prevalent myths in the software engineering job field.

Odds and Ends

It should be noted much of Glass’ view towards current software engineering management practices is negative. There are several issues that he believes are detrimental to the development of the software engineering job field. He also discusses, at great length, the lifecycle of software, quality, research, and other pertinent topics.


He places a great deal of emphasis on verifying the source of software engineering theories and practices before making them a part of the general protocol, thus extending existing fallacies. He also reminds us that, even with his own views, there exists a grey area of controversy that must be addressed.