Chapter 15: The Internet and the Human Aspects of Software Engineering

Introduction

This chapter examines several Internet- related topics of which each software engineer should be aware. The chapter consists of two parts .

The first part introduces the main concepts, attitudes, and principles of e-commerce (electronic commerce). Although this section does not address the human aspect of software development directly, we include this topic in the book since many of currently developed software systems are constructed to support online businesses. Consequently, software engineers should be aware of the different aspects of this topic.

E-commerce is a broad area that consists of and is connected to many things. For example, connections can be found between e-commerce and topics such as marketing, economy, human-computer interface, management, and of course, the development of Web sites that support e-commerce transactions. Furthermore, e-commerce can be discussed from different perspectives, such as financial implications, models of e-commerce, and possible online business activities. Naturally, this chapter does not examine all these topics and perspectives. In line with the spirit of this book, this chapter encompasses some of the human aspects of e-commerce. Specifically, it analyzes from a cognitive and social perspective topics related to the end users, the ones who use the developed applications for online purchases. We also mention relevant topics related to the developers and the management of e-commerce companies.

The second part of this chapter focuses on the timeless nature of the Internet and its application to the human aspects of software development. Specifically, we describe several events in which this nature of the Internet may be useful.