in reply to How Software Engineers Are Different Than Auto Mechanics

There are other differences, too. Quoting (myself) from Extreme Programming Pocket Guide:

There's a word for software that cannot be changed after delivery. That word is hardware.
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Re^2: How Software Engineers Are Different Than Auto Mechanics
by sfink (Deacon) on Feb 24, 2005 at 06:01 UTC
    Where I work, we tend to have many short-term installations in trade shows. No network access, and you can't turn it off to fix it in the middle of the show. After delivery, you're not changing any software. You're not even going to get to change any configuration. It had better work, or somebody's going to be getting their money back.

    Seems like platform game programming must be somewhat similar, so I don't think I have a completely niche perspective.

    On the other hand, if something does break in the middle of a show, we usually blame it on the hardware. So maybe I'm agreeing with you after all!