It&#x27;s not a stupid question since I never define it. :) I had an extended discussion&#x2F;debate with Kragen a while back on engineering software vs programming it. Many in academia and industry came up with methods to do software like a form of engineering with great results in practice. Sometimes even proving its properties. Whereas, programming was anything from throwing crap together to carefully constructing it in a way that uses a subset of engineering concept. I eventually realized we were tripping over definition of &quot;software engineering&quot; since people on his side of fence had that forever tied in their mind to groups pushing processes and Big Methodologies over good code. He kept referring to CompSci so I decided to use it to represent top work out of academia on engineering software to avoid red-flag phrase of &quot;software engineering.&quot;<p>In any case, I can give you some links to illustrate engineering software vs merely programming it. The first gives the concept with good analogies showing why we need it and what the difference is. Others are examples of methods for doing it.<p>What is High-Assurance and Software Engineering?
<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;web.cecs.pdx.edu&#x2F;~hook&#x2F;cs491sp08&#x2F;AssuranceSp08.ppt" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;web.cecs.pdx.edu&#x2F;~hook&#x2F;cs491sp08&#x2F;AssuranceSp08.ppt</a><p>Cleanroom Software Engineering
<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.engr.mun.ca&#x2F;~dpeters&#x2F;7893&#x2F;Notes&#x2F;presentations&#x2F;CleanroomSoftwareEngineering.pptx" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.engr.mun.ca&#x2F;~dpeters&#x2F;7893&#x2F;Notes&#x2F;presentations&#x2F;Cle...</a><p>High-assurance CA with Altran&#x2F;Praxis&#x27; method
<a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.sis.pitt.edu&#x2F;jjoshi&#x2F;Devsec&#x2F;CorrectnessByConstruction.pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.sis.pitt.edu&#x2F;jjoshi&#x2F;Devsec&#x2F;CorrectnessByConstruct...</a><p>Hope these help illustrate what I mean by engineering software. Although, my use of the CompSci term includes anything else scientific or cutting-edge that&#x27;s coming out of academia. I&#x27;ll toss in one more showing secure browsing done right (maybe). :)<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.usenix.org&#x2F;legacy&#x2F;events&#x2F;osdi10&#x2F;tech&#x2F;full_papers&#x2F;Tang.pdf" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.usenix.org&#x2F;legacy&#x2F;events&#x2F;osdi10&#x2F;tech&#x2F;full_papers...</a>