> In software, the design is the code. The compiler/interpreter are the construction of the system.
That's IMO a pedantic view. Yes, ok, but when I design software I describe it's high-level characteristics, more like describing the plot of a book than the specific words in a book and the what the characters say to each other.
I'd say there are many levels of design. Code is the last.
Your design can look very good yet be seriously flawed when you actually write the code. Designs (blueprints) civil engineers use are based on many years of practice that are enshrined in engineering codes sometimes going back thousands of years. Key issues in the design like the way forces interplay, are amenable to mathematical analysis. The only checking we can do of UML-like diagrams and written "specs" is peer review. Not the same at all.
That's IMO a pedantic view. Yes, ok, but when I design software I describe it's high-level characteristics, more like describing the plot of a book than the specific words in a book and the what the characters say to each other.
I'd say there are many levels of design. Code is the last.