I am making this a forums thread because I said this in chat and I want honest feedback. Maybe I'm really off base. This is not a shitpost.
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There exists no accountability* for writing bad software. Even tho many people use subversion, git, and other software to log a constant bloody papertrail of "who put the thing in the software".
Many people call themselves "software engineers." But real engineers in other fields have licensing and boards that are nationally recognized. These engineers design skyscrapers, bridges, powerplants and other things that, if they break, kill many people.
Society is currently suffering from software engineering disasters that end up in fraud, hacking - its just that people aren't physically dying (yet) because of this incompetence. Mostly it just makes our lives shittier.
There is no accountability for bad programming beyond lawsuits, occasionally people get fired.
Computer software engineers should have examination boards, they should have licensing, they should be nationally recognized as capable and able to design and test large pieces of software. In the same way Real engineers do.
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In my metaphor, the mechanical/civil/electrical engineers do not assemble anything themselves (tho they are strongly linked to prototyping and testing). The assembling is done by Trades. Higher levels of trades will also design smaller systems (usually residential) and repair things on-site to original spec.
So, let software engineers design pieces that are assembled by the software technicians - let the techs just put pieces together.
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In the Real Trades, the absolute best education comes from classes and hands-on field training from unions. Programmers should have unions. They should keep their people accountable for doing bad work.
Now, I get that this wouldn't work. Currently there is a Programming Culture Mindset of "we touch computers and make lighting in a rock think, we are practically gods and capable of anything". In reality, these people are very small gods. And they are often very dumb and not exposed to good practices. These people tend to be Libertarian and Anti-Regulation.
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What do you think? I do not work professionally as a computer toucher, so my perspective is as an outsider.
* By accountability I mean holding people ultimately professionally responsible for their mistakes and/or malice after they have left their employer. The best accountability that happens now is civil lawsuits. Or getting fired by your employer.