Jens Schauder says that perception that the software development field is immature is fine, but ignorant of how software development works - that the crucial issue isn't maturity, but bugs.
As far as ignorance, he throws out these points:
- Reuse in software development is extremely high, "as if workers in a factory would just use a different paint and maybe a different brush to change the resulting product from an ipod to a car."
- Automation is extremely high.
What he says is more important:
...let us tackle the real challenges of software development: When every pixel the designer (i.e. coder) changes results in completely different behavior of the product, and when this product is delivered to the customer within days, often hours, there is a high risk of shipping bugs.
We don’t need more automation. We don’t need more reuse. We need better strategies for preventing and finding bugs. I take the automation and reuse any time, but the important stuff are the bugs.