Is abstraction the key to computing?

ACTION THE KEY TO COMPUTING? Why is it that some software engineers and computer scientists are able to produce clear, elegant designs and programs, while others cannot? Is it possible to improve these skills through education and training? to these questions is the notion of abstraction. For over 30 years, I have been involved in teaching and research in computer science and software engineering. My teaching experience ranges from courses in programming, to distributed systems, distributed algorithms, concurrency, and software design. All these courses require that students are able to perform problem solving, conceptualization, modeling, and analysis. My experience is that the better students are clearly able to handle complexity and to produce elegant models and designs. The same students are also able to cope with the complexities of distributed algorithms, the applicability of various modeling notations, and other subtle issues. By JEFF KRAMER 36 April 2007/Vol. 50, No. 4 COMMUNIC...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2007
• Where: CACM
• Authors: Jeff Kramer
• Keywords: CACM 2007, Designs, Elegant Designs, Software Engineers