Splitting the difference: The historical necessity of synthesis in software engineering

For the last quarter of a century software technologists have worked to address the ''software crisis'' identified in the 1960s. Their efforts have focused on a number of different areas, but have often been marked by the search for singular ''best'' solutions. However, the fundamental nature of software-involving basic and poorly understood problem-solving processes combined with unprecedented and multifaceted complexity-weighs heavily against the utility of singular approaches. Examination of the discourse of software technologists in a number of key professional and trade journals over the last 25 years illuminates various disputes central to the development of software engineering and highlights the necessity of a more pluralistic mind-set revolving around synthesis and trade-offs.