Quick Safari Through Software Design

By looking at the dictionary [Webster_1998], one could find the following definition of the verb 'to Design': "to create, execute, or construct according to the plan. According to etymology science it is from the latin word designare (de + signare) which means to mark." It could be understood from the above definition that to design something related to make artifacts which could be used for special purpose. In brief the purpose of design is to produce a solution to the problem. Another interesting point about the root of the word design is its relation to the word signature. One possible way of thinking about it is; the design is the signature of the designer; a person who makes an object. In summary we could define design as the activity that produces any form of artifact [Budgen_2003]. The other words that are usually used in this context are; engineering, engineer and engine. The term engineering itself has a much more recent etymology and, deriving from the word engineer, which itself dates back to 1325, when an engine’er, originally referred to “a constructor of military engines ”[Oxford_1989]. In this context, an “engine” referred to a military machine, for example, something that is used in war. The word “engine” itself is of even older origin, ultimately deriving from the Latin ingenium, which means “innate quality, especially mental power, hence a clever invention. So the engineering could be defined as [Webster_1998]: