I think we are well aware of the arbitrary definition, and it misses the point. A software developer hacker/engineer/programmer solves problems, using the software as a tool to that end. There are surely several domains in which they may work, but the real skills -- the ability to put together code, debug, etc and not the memorization of the business rules of each domain -- are what makes the programmer.
I can understand if a hiring manager wants somebody who has some experience in some OS, in using Dreamweaver, in knowing the Java language, or in some other platform. These are just toys, though. I agree that that experience is a bonus, but the real core skillset has nothing to do with any particular toy. The hiring manager will easily miss good developers with such a narrow-minded focus.
And certainly, strong experience in any of the items of this list should not suggest that the developer cannot also do GUI programming, web programming, JavaScript, or any of the like. These are simply environments. Everyone has to learn the local company's codebase or some business's specific rules.
I have never seen an educational institution use these terms. Nobody gets a serious degree in "systems programming" or "web frontend development". If they do, avoid that institution!
What you want in a developer is the ability to learn, the ability to think, and the ability to communicate on things that make some hardware operate. But call them a "systems programmer", and we do a grave disservice to our industry. Distinct skill set? No way. Don't let the pencil-pushers carve us into tidy little imaginary fields. They do that because they are trying to measure the work. As someone who has experience in all the levels from our computer's digital circuits up to databases and sideways to some pretty graphics and sound, I can assure you that these definitions are ridiculous. I provide maintainable solutions.
I am not a systems programmer. I am not a web developer. I am not a game designer. I am a software developer: I can do all these things and more -- and specifically, I personally have, so I know the differences.
I do not hire people because of the toys they have used; I hire them because they are capable of learning and extending mine.
I can understand if a hiring manager wants somebody who has some experience in some OS, in using Dreamweaver, in knowing the Java language, or in some other platform. These are just toys, though. I agree that that experience is a bonus, but the real core skillset has nothing to do with any particular toy. The hiring manager will easily miss good developers with such a narrow-minded focus.
And certainly, strong experience in any of the items of this list should not suggest that the developer cannot also do GUI programming, web programming, JavaScript, or any of the like. These are simply environments. Everyone has to learn the local company's codebase or some business's specific rules.
I have never seen an educational institution use these terms. Nobody gets a serious degree in "systems programming" or "web frontend development". If they do, avoid that institution!
What you want in a developer is the ability to learn, the ability to think, and the ability to communicate on things that make some hardware operate. But call them a "systems programmer", and we do a grave disservice to our industry. Distinct skill set? No way. Don't let the pencil-pushers carve us into tidy little imaginary fields. They do that because they are trying to measure the work. As someone who has experience in all the levels from our computer's digital circuits up to databases and sideways to some pretty graphics and sound, I can assure you that these definitions are ridiculous. I provide maintainable solutions.
I am not a systems programmer. I am not a web developer. I am not a game designer. I am a software developer: I can do all these things and more -- and specifically, I personally have, so I know the differences.
I do not hire people because of the toys they have used; I hire them because they are capable of learning and extending mine.