Software engineering has experienced significant transformations over the past four decades. Innovations that were once groundbreaking have become so integrated into our daily workflows that contemporary engineers may find it challenging to envision working without them. This discussion highlights the critical elements that were absent 40, 30, 20, and 10 years ago but have now become essential components of modern software development.

40 Years Ago (Pre-1985)

In the early 1980s, the landscape of software development was markedly different. Engineers were working without:

Version Control Systems – While some rudimentary version control mechanisms existed, advanced distributed version control systems like Git were still decades away. Engineers relied on manual backups and physical storage for different versions, without the branching, merging, and collaboration features that are now standard.

Object-Oriented Programming Languages – Although the concept was present in languages such as Smalltalk, mainstream adoption of object-oriented programming (OOP) was limited. At that time, languages like C++ were still emerging, and Java had yet to be developed. Procedural programming dominated, making code reuse and modular design significantly more difficult.

Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) – Developers primarily used basic text editors lacking features such as code completion, integrated debugging, or visual design tools. The absence of IDEs led to more manual intervention in tasks such as compilation and debugging, which notably slowed development cycles.

The Internet – Most notably, the lack of the Internet meant the absence of vital resources such as Stack Overflow and GitHub, as well as immediate access to documentation and community support. Knowledge sharing primarily occurred through physical books, conferences, and personal interactions.

30 Years Ago (Pre-1995)

By the mid-1990s, some significant changes were underway, but engineers still faced challenges such as:

Web Frameworks – Although the web was in existence, frameworks that simplified web development were not available. Each website was built from scratch using basic HTML and minimal JavaScript, lacking the abstraction provided by modern frameworks.

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment – The concepts of automated testing and deployment pipelines were not yet established. Software releases were considered major events, typically scheduled months apart and requiring manual testing and deployment.

Open Source Ecosystem – While open source software had a presence, the rich ecosystem of libraries, frameworks, and tools we rely on today was still in its infancy. The mentality of “not invented here” was prevalent, leading companies to develop proprietary solutions for common challenges.

Agile Methodologies – Development processes were largely based on waterfall methodologies with rigid planning phases. The Agile Manifesto was not published until 2001, which meant that practices such as iterative development, daily standups, and sprint planning were not common in engineering.

20 Years Ago (Pre-2005)

As the new millennium approached, software engineering continued to evolve, but key innovations were still missing:

Cloud Computing – Prior to the launch of AWS services in 2006, infrastructure was primarily physical and on-premises. Provisioning new servers often took weeks or even months, and scaling required acquiring additional hardware.

DevOps Culture – There remained a significant divide between development and operations teams. Developers would typically pass code to operations teams without collaboration, resulting in friction, slower deployments, and challenges in troubleshooting production issues.

Mobile Development Frameworks – The smartphone revolution had not yet begun, with the iPhone still two years away. Mobile development was limited to feature phones with proprietary systems that imposed severe constraints.

Big Data Tools – Processing large datasets required custom solutions and specialized, often costly, hardware. Frameworks such as Hadoop and Spark had yet to emerge, along with the entire big data ecosystem.

10 Years Ago (Pre-2015)

Even a decade ago, several now-essential tools and practices were not yet in place:

Containerization and Orchestration – While Docker was emerging, container orchestration platforms like Kubernetes had yet to achieve widespread adoption. Application deployment was often reliant on configuration management tools rather than on containerized microservices.

Serverless Computing – The concept of function-as-a-service was just beginning to take shape. Engineers predominantly considered servers and infrastructure rather than discrete functions capable of automatic scaling.

AI/ML as a Service – Implementing machine learning required specialized knowledge and bespoke solutions. Pre-trained models, ML APIs, and frameworks like TensorFlow were either newly introduced or had not yet reached their current capabilities.

Low-Code/No-Code Platforms – The trend toward democratizing software development through platforms enabling non-engineers to create applications was just starting. The sophisticated low-code tools that facilitate collaboration between professional developers and business users were largely unavailable at that time.

The Impact on Modern Engineering

The evolution of technology has significantly transformed the software development landscape:

1. Development Speed – Tasks that previously required months can now be completed within days or hours, due to advancements in tools, reusable components, and automation.
2. Accessibility – Software engineering has become increasingly accessible, facilitated by improved educational resources, more user-friendly tools, and reduced barriers to entry.
3. Collaboration – Teams operating on a global scale can now collaborate seamlessly on the same codebase, marking a significant departure from the localized development practices of past decades.
4. Scale – Modern engineers are capable of building systems that support millions of users without a corresponding increase in the complexity of infrastructure or team size.

As we consider these advancements, it is essential to contemplate which aspects of contemporary software engineering might become so integral that professionals in 2045 will struggle to envision development without them. Innovations such as quantum computing, advanced AI-assisted programming, or even direct brain-computer interfaces may become commonplace tools for future engineers, rendering our current methodologies as outdated as punch cards appear to us today.