CSE/ISE 308
Fall 2010
Stony Brook 		Software Engineering
Annie Liu
Assignment 1 		Handout A1
Jan. 25, 2010
Due Jan. 29 and Feb. 1
Questionnaire; Customer Wanting Software

This assignment has two parts. Part 1 is due before class on Friday Jan. 29; Part 2 is due before class on Monday Feb. 1.

Part 1. Questionnaire

Fill out the Questionnaire in Handout Q if you have not already done so, and submit it before class on Friday.

Send me an email, ASAP but no later than Wednesday Jan 27, to help form teams as well as confirm your email address. In the email, list your name, email address, and tasks that you are both good at and prefer to do for the course project, in the format specified in class. Also, if you prefer to work with, or not to work with, specific other students in a team, list their names, your preferences and reasons.

Part 2. Customer Wanting Software

Describe a software that you would like as a customer, and create a homepage that contains the description.

  • It should be a software that you think is important but to your knowledge is not currently available exactly as you want. Explain what it does, why it is important, and how it differs from related things that you know are available. You should give references, e.g., articles and links to webpages, to support your description. Note that this software project is independent of what project you will select to do for the course.

  • The software can be standalone, or be a component in a larger system, as long as you specify the interface through which you can use the system (needed for testing and evaluation later). You don't need to worry too much about whether 2000 or 20000 lines of code is needed to implement it, but keep in mind that requirements for a too complicated or a too simple system can not be written in a page or two of English.

  • The system needs not be implemented using Java or running on a specific platform. The language or platform matter may or may not be part of the description. However, if the resulting system must be working in a specific environment, then you need to specify it, e.g., running over a web browser. For evaluation purposes at the end, as long as others can download your system, build and use it easily, or use it directly through a web browser, it is fine.

  • The description should be as clear and complete as you can possibly write in a half day, or a day, in 1 or 2 pages (depending on the density of your printout). If you think of building a software like building an enterprise, then specifying what software you want is similar to specifying what an enterprise you want exactly.

    Extra credit suggestions

    Through out the course, you get extra credit for brining up anything particularly interesting and useful about software development (facts, tools, lessons learned, etc.) to my attention. They can be shared with the entire class.

    Handins

    For Part 1, hand in the filled questionnaire before class on the due date, if you have not handed in already. For Part 2, before class on the due date, submit your description through blackboard, send me an email in plain text containing two lines of the following forms 

    <a href="full-url-of-your-description">Name of the Software You Want</a>
<a href="full-url-of-your-homepage">Your Name</a>
    and hand in a printout.

    Grading

    The two parts are worth 30% and 70%, respectively, of the grade. Exceptionally well thought-out and well written homeworks will receive appropriate extra credit.