>Perhaps, but I think what I'm really saying is that "techies", with the
>bent you ascribe to them, are not the right people to be trusted with doing
>software development of any kind that has any impact on the society at
>large.  This is where we (especially us academics) have really screwed
>up.  "Our" model of what software developers are is very blue-collar.  A
>white collar, truly professional model, more like that for doctors and
>lawyers, is much more appropriate.

Ron appears to believe the ONLY true professional in the industry is a
semi-retired
professor of Computer Science and Computer Engineering.

It is my observation that the academics believe that Engineers, Computer
Scientist,
Software Engineers, et. al. are "professionals" and not technicians.  While
working
in the computer field as a field engineer and a software developer for 30
years,
I observed the same mistakes being made over and over again by new
graduates.  They were
following what they had been taught.  I recommended to several department
chairs that
both schools of Engineering and Computer Science should require a one year
internship prior to graduation.  The unanimous response was, "We are
graduating professionals not technicians."

>Blue-collar "professionals", understandably, require considerable
>government intervention.  White-collar professionals, at worst, guide the
>government in setting standards of conduct and practice.

"understandably"

This is an ego-centric attitude at best.  I have seen "Blue-Collar"
professionals that more professional than any "white-collar" and adhere to
"standards and practices" with little or no oversight.  I have seen
"white-collars" that thought they were so superior that they did not
understand why they were fired for do getting the product out (over and
over).  The fact is the individual not the group define the work ethic of a
professional.

Ron tends to paint his pictures with a "very" broad brush, when the actual
world does not
live in his Ivory tower.