The Success of a Heavenly Marriage

For a field that sprang out of a so-called software crisis, software engineering has done rather well over the past half-century. By riding on the coattails of Moore’s law, it has progressed phenomenally. The field’s achievements are visible through the large, complex, yet effective software systems that power our everyday lives. By looking at the drivers of the field’s progress and taking stock of its achievements, we can appreciate the challenges in front of us and confidently plan for the future. This article is part of a theme issue on software engineering’s 50th anniversary.