[XorNot]

Basically compare how software is developed by all of us to how software was written for the space shuttle.

There is just absolutely no comparison in process or methodology. Space shuttle programming is what true software engineering looks like.

[xeromal]

I've always thought that true engineering is anything that involves human lives. Bridges, pipes, roads, pace makers, space ships, rockets. Websites don't kill people, it ain't engineering.

[MaxBarraclough]

That doesn't sound right. Most applications of electronic engineering are not safety-critical, unless we count requirements such as avoiding improper use of toxic chemicals, but setting the bar that low would mean just about any physical undertaking counts as safety-critical.

Projects like the Linux kernel, or the HotSpot and LLVM compiler systems, presumably count as engineering. Building a new GPU presumably counts as engineering. These systems aren't intended for safety-critical use, though.

Another example: it still counts as aeronautical engineering even if you're building an unmanned drone that only ever flies in a lab.