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Why not try to develop standards bodies and certifications that start a cycle of excellence? Even in the realm of medicine, there were days (and probably still are in many places in the world) where medical sorts ranges from leech-flinging buffoons to truly gifted surgeons. As communication and verification became more feasible, groups (like the AMA) came about to raise the bar on what a "doctor" truly meant, and a level of professionalism was added to the realm.
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The preservation of human life is of more social value than your typical business app. I think if you look at apps where their failure results in loss of life, the bar, as well as the consequences for failure are high.

With respect to a standards making body, you need to begin with a mandate. I don't see a mandate surfacing. i.e., I don't see the masses demanding action.


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I think the world of SD is going to evolve so that true "developers" (no interns, no script kiddies, etc.) will become the definition of the word "developer", while everyone else will be considered users or perhaps "power" users. I would not consider someone that codes VBScript macros in Excel to be a true developer. No more than an herbalist would be considered a physician.
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But yet in some parts of the world, people that practice holisitic medicine are considered physicians. Even in our country, holisitic medicine is beginning to receive serious attention. Sure, there is the old boys club who likes to keep the club as small as possible. These are also the people that belong to restricted country clubs..< s >...

As for the issue of what makes a "true developer", that is a bit of a thorny subject for me. Depending on how you define what makes a true developer, there are many speakers who would not qualify. I tend to be very pragmatic on this issue. IMNSHO - SD is NOT an academic discipline. To be a true developer, one needs to develop and deliver applications. It is that simple.

As for what methodology you use, that does not mean nearly as much as delivery. I have seen people present topics on this topic or that.. And yet, when questioned on what they have actually delivered, there is nothing to speak of.

The same can be said of the legions of VFP developers who accuse the VB developer of being a hack.

When it is all said and done, there will never be a universally acceptable definition of what makes up a "true developer"...

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It is true that SD is different from being a doctor in that barely passable coding can get a job done, while just barely passable medical behavior can kill a patient. But there are other non-fatal professions that have unions, or guilds, or artisanships such as carpentry, and these areas all have meaningful certifications.
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IMO, unless you are licsenced to practice, it is not a profession - in the classic sense...


>I think John R. hit it on the head when he said it comes down to meaningful, real-word certifications and such so that people can start trusting them. Right now, when an HR person sees MCSD on a resume it might be enough to get that resume onto the short list, but the IT manager doing the hiring doesn't have any idea if the certification is meaningful. But imagine a resume item that says something like "spent 4 years as apprentice to Anders Heljberg (creator of Delphi) before attaining software development artisan status". I would hire the person instantly, and that person would be good.
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People usually don't have that luxury. Also, given the pay scale, a person like this is going to be very expensive. I don't see it as a practical or workable situation.


>Thanks for the discussion! Happy Holidays!

Same to you!!

< jvp >