Jeremiah Yancy | What’s Next trend in Software Engineering in 2020
When Margaret Hamilton coined the term “software engineering,” she used it to describe the code she wrote to put people on the moon. Since then, faster computer processors, more streamlined programming languages, and the advent of code-sharing across the web have kept software engineering on a breakneck pace.
Unlike with mechanical engineering and computer engineering, advances in software engineering aren’t always obvious to the end consumer. Don’t be fooled. The personal computer, the laptop, and the smartphone are all just chunks of raw material until they’re enlivened by software engineering said by Jeremiah Yancy. The modern world can’t run without it and the future depends on it. So what’s next?
Software engineering has come to be defined as the application of a systematic approach to the development and maintenance of software. That’s a pretty dry definition for what’s actually a tremendously dynamic industry. Software engineering writes the codes, algorithms, and applications that shape a huge amount of our day-to-day lives.
Blockchain
The cryptocurrency reached eye-watering levels of hype in late 2017. But blockchain, the technology which underpins cryptocurrency, has its sights set even higher. Blockchain’s fundamental value proposition is providing an immutable, unhackable public database that is controlled by no single entity said by Jeremiah Yancy. What is that good for? In short, pretty much everything.
While the mainstream corporate marketplace has its eyes on profit-generating blockchain ventures in healthcare, banking, and manufacturing, the real revolution is in the ability to decentralize applications. Distributed applications (dApps) are open-source projects that have no centralized means of control. They operate through smart contracts: self-executing agreements that remove the question of trust.
Implementation of these tools means a software engineer can cut out the middleman (bank, regulator, bad actor) and lower fees down to nothing. In the eyes of the blockchain optimists, practically every application currently running can be made in a more efficient, less expensive way by converting it into a dApp.
Internet of Things(IoT)
Every second, 127 new devices will be hooked up to the internet. By 2020, there will be more than 20 billion connected devices. The rollout of 5G service and edge computing can supercharge the ability of those devices to speak to each other in real-time, forming what’s known as the Internet of Things (IoT). Being able to collect, analyze, interpret, and act upon all the data that’s recorded in this way represents an extremely lucrative opportunity.
Firms like Sense are developing their own industrial data ecosystems through the IoT, while connecting cars to the cloud allow for smart roads that promise safer, more efficient transport. But these advances come with their own unique challenges. According to Jeremiah Yancy, IoT software engineers need to be able to write code for small, energy-efficient devices and they often need experience across several verticals to implement that code. Those who can solve the IoT’s specific software engineering needs are likely to be highly rewarded: conservative estimates place global spending on IoT at a quarter trillion dollars by 2020, and projections for 2022 put it at over a trillion.
Cybersecurity
With more connected devices, cybersecurity becomes of paramount concern for software engineers. Even a refrigerator hooked up to the cloud becomes a possible point of vulnerability. Open-source projects put all their cards on the table for all to see said by Jeremiah Yancy. Botnets and DDoS attacks in the new connected environment don’t just threaten individual applications, but entire data ecosystems.
Borrowing from innovations in the cryptocurrency, software engineers are looking towards security features such as zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs). By automating randomized verification checks around the periphery of queried data, both parties are able to verify the queried data without revealing it specifically. If that sounds confusing, that’s okay, it’s even more confusing for hackers: ZKPs allow for ultra-secure transactions and communications that don’t require the exchange of passwords and therefore have fewer points of vulnerability. The tech involved in ZKPs is still computationally expensive, but applications are already being researched and developed in the pharmaceutical and finance industries. Startups like QEDIT offer a combination of high-grade cryptography and controlled transparency that keeps private data secure. More are on the way.
So these are the next trends in 2020.