1. A method of engineering a software component, comprising: providing the software component with an input interface, an output interface, and a control interface, the control interface being configurable to receive external conditions or parameters that are specific to an environment or to a domain; providing one or more externally modifiable adapters, the one or more externally modifiable adapters having environment-specific or domain-specific data, and being configurable to be dynamically bound to the software component in dependence upon external conditions or parameters that are specific to an environment or to a domain in which the software component is to be executed.