Reading up books: Software engineering — The critical component for computing: The goal of software engineering is to provide structures and techniques that will lead to the production of high-quality programs

Computer systems consist of two major elements: hardware — all the Physical equipment that makes up a computer system, and software — all the programs needed to make the system work. In 1955, hardware accounted for approximately 80 percent of the total cost of a computer system. Today, just the reverse is true. Over 80 percent of system cost comes from the software. Software development is a highly labor-intensive and time-consuming task, and the development of standards has been slow. Thus, while the cost of hardware continues to decline, the relative cost of software is expected to increase.