Toward a taxonomy of software application domains: History
Abstract There is newly emerging interest in an application focused approach to progress in computer science and software engineering. We review the early history of interest in that topic, both in industry and in a professional society (the Association for Computing Machinery) and find a sequence of events that constitute a steady trend away from such application focus. We then ask, “Is it time to reevaluate this trend?” and suggest some directions for doing so. Special focus is placed on the need for a taxonomy of application domains. It is noted that the development of more meaningful taxonomies will not be easy.