> Left to their own devices, engineers would build the cheapest bridge they could sell that hopefully won't collapse.
replyI don't know any real (i.e. non-software) engineers, but I would love to ask them whether what you said is true. For years now, I've been convinced that we should've stuck with calling ourselves "software developers", rather than trying to crib the respectability of engineering without understanding what makes that discipline respectable.
Our toxic little industry would benefit a lot from looking at other fields, like medicine, and taking steps to become more responsible for the outcomes of our work.
Civil engineers are licensed and carry insurance. When software developers have similar requirements, then I'll call them engineers. In some fields like avionics, the certification regime is a good proxy for licensing -- I think we could extend the "engineer" title to those developers too.
replySuch a world still has room for unlicensed developers too -- I'd certainly be among them.