Can practitioners neglect theory and theoreticians neglect practice?

Software engineering requires an understanding of theory, what it can offer, and its limits. This requires a comprehensive understanding of practice, its needs, and its open challenges. Successful software engineering requires insights into many aspects of software and its evolution, such as methodology, including requirements engineering and specification, architecture and design, code quality, integration and verification, deployment and migration, and modification and improvement of software system. Applying theory systemically in this field using context-free grammars and compiler generators has turned it into one of the first mature areas of software construction. Applied topics such as operating systems, protocols, and databases should also be taught and explained in terms of adequate theories. A structured presentation of theory and its connection to the engineering of software systems is a must in software engineering education.