From Art Form to Engineering Discipline? A History of US Military Software Development Standards, 1974–1998

From the 1970s to 1990s, the US Department of Defense attempted to enforce software standards on its computer and aerospace contractors. Many software developers resented this and believed it encroached on their freedom to exercise professional judgment. Although the contractors oriented much of their software production toward military needs, the effort's ultimate failure showed the limits of the DoD's control.