I can alread see it happenning:
Developer refuses to use 'strict', denied access to /usr/bin/perl
- by Associated Press Newswire
Perl developer James Polk was denied execution permissions on /usr/bin/perl
after reports that he does not use 'strict'. Although Mr. Polk denies the
charges he is afraid that if the news spreads, part of his Perl license will
be revoked. The current punishment for 'strict' crimes is a ban on
extraction and Mr. Polk will only be allowed to use the language for
reporting.
...
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Turoff [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2001 11:52 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: Re: Perl certification (was: Advertising Perl)
On Thu, Aug 16, 2001 at 11:32:13AM -0400, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> Adam Turoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > These certifications are not handed out by businesses that charge
> > for training and examination of a specific skill. They are
> > examinations to determine the competence of the applicant to enter
> > the professional society. Entrance in the professional society is
> > an assertion by that society that a person has the requisite skills
> > and moral/ethical grounding to perform the job they seek to perform.
>
> Excellent answer.
>
> Doesn't this indicate that we should be in the business of offering
> not-for-profit Perl certification (without offering training), both
> as a good in and of itself and also to establish a Good Example for
> others?
No. There is much more to professional societies than non profit status.
The bar association can disbar a lawyer for unethical conduct. Physicans
and Engineers can lose their professional standing because an unacceptable
lapse led to the loss of human life.
Do you propose that we create a certification agency that would
disallow someone from programming in Perl? What egregious lapse
would cause that to happen -- and what would/should we classify as
egregious? None of the IT certifications I've seen have provisions
for that, save the limited lifespan of certification credentials.
Z.
