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On the topic of #onlinevoting - still seeing people on birbsite with major reckons that 'because we can bank on line, we *must* be able to vote online"... These are non-technical people who, have unbounded (blind) faith in technical people to solve all problems... and they're adept at complete rejecting those very same technical people when they tell them quite emphatically "your faith is misguided. It can't be done." Humanity is doomed. Blind faith is not a virtue, it's a character flaw.
In case you're sceptical of my assurance, here's what Randal Monroe has to say (this should put the issue to bed) on the matter: https://xkcd.com/2030/ (make sure you hover over it to see the *real* punchline)
@lightweight This tiptoes around what is my strong feeling: That software engineers generally aren't qualified to call themselves engineers, and we need some sort of professional organization which lords over the ability to use that title.
Real engineers are professionals who ensure their stuff is built to not break. Software engineers often just hack around things until it kinda works.
@ocdtrekkie to be fair (as an actual mechanical engineer) that's sorta what other types of engineers do, too, except they're generally wearing helmets, goggles, or hazmat suits which lends them a certain credibility... 😂
@lightweight @ocdtrekkie To be really, really fair, software engineers do it without any measuring devices. >;->
Imagine designing a bridge to span a chasm by saying, "That looks similar to this ditch we spanned, so we'll use the same spanning mechanism and just add on to it."
@lwriemen @lightweight There are formal ways to measure and test code though. Perhaps to call yourself a software engineer you need to have comprehensive tests and benchmarks for your code?
@ocdtrekkie @lightweight In following with most of the legal precepts I've seen, where enforced, you only have to know about the concepts defined for your Engineer recertification exams, whether you use them or not. ;-)
Of course, Capers Jones and Tom DeMarco have both talked about how they make a lot of money testifying in court cases where companies fail to follow known steps needed to plan and execute a software project.
