>The 'Medicine is art' analogy doesn't doesn't hold for neither medicine nor programming because:
>1) There are no universially recognized and certified schools of programming, similar to medical schools. Most 2 and 4 years schools just crank out coders.
>2) No standardized tests of programming skills, at the federal or state level, nor practicums which force applicants to demonstrate sufficient skill levels. Having a federal level certification would prevent incompetents from jumping to other states.

MS and others have certifications. Not that they're perfect, but I could never pass a Linux cert and my husband could not pass a VFP one. Probably the federal government hasn't stepped in because we're not dealing with people's lives.

However, I worked in a clinical research setting and the software we wrote and used to collect the data did have to be government certified in order for the drugs being investigated to meet FDA regulations. Not specifically the way it was written, but that it worked according to the specs. They had to have paperwork that showed the developers working on the project had the appropriate education and training to do their jobs properly. Not that it guaranteed their knowledge!

>3) The techniques of medical treatment are well defined and constrained, those of programming are not. (You can't suiture just any ole' way. Neither can you apply plasters made from fungi you grew in your office basement. Things are well standardized and uniform from doctor to doctor.)

Hmm. I work in a hospital. Not sure everything is as standardized as you think, especially in difficult diseases. ;-)

I made the rounds this winter with shoulder and arm pain and got diagnosed by 4 different methods, with 4 different recommended treatments. I was recommended 2 different medications that have similar actions. This is a teaching hospital. Is the teaching standardized across different departments treating the same illness? (I'm doing better now.)

>4) Illnesses have been well cataloged and indicated, but needs for software solutions have not, which has generated a lot of useless software.

Aren't design patterns and algorithms cataloged and indicated by those in the know?

Not everyone had the same opinion about what was/is causing my pain.

>5) Diagnostics is also standardized. Not so with application failures.

Not everyone that saw me used the same methods to decide what to do.

>6) Tools and the techniques of their use are standardized, documented and certified. Software tools come and go faster than snake oil remedies, leaving users with that 'sick' feeling.

Haven't VB and FoxPro been around a long time? How about COBOL. In the medical world, look at those who tout vitamins or alternative therapies.

>It is precisely because folks with informal or no training what so ever can begin programming for Joe Smallbusiness, some after one perusal of "The Idiot's Guide to BASIC".

Ever talked to folks that sell vitamins? Joe Smallbusiness knows all about your health.

>I was one of the first to teach programming at the HS level in the late 70's, and taught it at the College level in the 80's. My son graduated in Math five years ago but decided to program (he saw how much fun I was having :) and visited several colleges and Universities (UNL amung them). In the past 20-25 years little has changed.

My son is in CPS at the same school I went to (in CPS). Some of the same prof's are still there. From my perspective, a lot has changed since then.

Well, Jerry, this is just the other side of the coin, from one who is around the medical arts on a daily basis. ;-) I sincerely hope you are in good health and won't get to know whether medicine is standardized or not!