Simple matter of software
 | It has been suggested that this article be merged into Small matter of programming. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2017. |
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
The phrase a simple matter of software has been in common use within the software industry since at least the early 1980s.[1]
It is often used as an ironic comment on both the growing importance of software in all human activity and the real difficulty we have in creating good quality software.
However, it is also used without irony to indicate that straightforward software development is all that is required to resolve some issue. This usage is often invoked when the speaker wants to contrast the implied ease of software changes with the suggested greater difficulty of making a hardware change or a change to an industry standard. This non-ironic usage is more often invoked by senior management and hardware engineers, than it is by software engineers.
References
- ^ Brian Coles (June 1983). "Microcomputer hardware/software". Proceedings of the 1983 3rd International Symposium on Unmanned Untethered Submersible Technology.
It is frequently said that it is a simple matter of software to tailor a system to meet the requirements of a specific application. This statement - with its, hopefully, intended humor is one of the key points of this paper.