Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!m.cs.uiuc.edu!render
From: render@m.cs.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.software-eng
Subject: Programmer Licensing?
Message-ID: <39400056@m.cs.uiuc.edu>
Date: 17 Oct 89 04:28:00 GMT
Lines: 25
Nf-ID: #N:m.cs.uiuc.edu:39400056:000:1082
Nf-From: m.cs.uiuc.edu!render    Oct 16 23:28:00 1989


Here's something that may be of interest to the SE community.  Please
respond to the net, since I am only posting it as an "FYI" item.

From the Champaign (IL) News-Gazette (Oct. 15, 1989):

	Report: Billions wasted on computer software

	SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRN) -- Errant computer software has killed
	patients with too much radiation, caused a civilian airliner
	to be shot from the sky, produced gigantic defense cost
	overruns -- and is still inadequately regulated, according to a
	congressional report.

	The report warns that billions of taxpayer dollars are being
	squandered because the government's antiquated system for
	buying software doesn't work.  The report calls for a drastic
	revision in the way the government creates and buys software,
	as well as a study of licensing computer programmers.

	The report says the government may have to "encourage" the
	certifying of programmers because "a lack of concern regarding
	ethics is a weakness in this profession" and, if the
	computer programming community doesn't police itself, it may
	lose its "prized autonomy."