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From: michaelm@3comvax.UUCP (Michael McNeil)
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: New Discussion (first meetings)
Message-ID: <363@3comvax.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 21-Jan-86 01:58:21 EST
Article-I.D.: 3comvax.363
Posted: Tue Jan 21 01:58:21 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 23-Jan-86 21:27:52 EST
References: <705@leadsv.UUCP> <130400004@hpfcls.UUCP> <723@leadsv.UUCP> <1572@lumiere.UUCP> <430@ur-helheim.UUCP>
Reply-To: michaelm@3comvax.UUCP (Michael McNeil)
Organization: 3Com Corp; Mountain View, CA
Lines: 35

In article <430@ur-helheim.UUCP> dave@helheim.UUCP (David F. Carlson) writes:
>In article <1572@lumiere.UUCP> richl@lumiere.UUCP (Rick Lindsley) writes:
>>If you are a programmer, are you proud of it? Indifferent? Ashamed? 
>>Rick Lindsley
>
>There's this woman who I know and I've met several others like her,
>that MUST be ashamed of what they do-- they can not bear the title
>programmer.  "Software Engineer", PLEASE!!!  Programmer sounds like
>COBOL for a bank or something.  I liken this title inflation to
>calling a garbage man a "Sanitation engineer."  Now, Rick says he's
>indifferent to being a programmer.  Maybe he just needs to beef
>up his self esteem through a bit of title inflation.
>						yours,
>						dave, programmer
>Dave Carlson
>{allegra,seismo,decvax}!rochester!ur-valhalla!dave

The term "programmer" has an honored past, and I do not mind it.  
However, it is also the case that the activity of programming is
true engineering.  It's perfectly valid for a programmer to be
called an engineer -- and perhaps even to want to.  

-- 

Michael McNeil
3Com Corporation     "All disclaimers including this one apply"
(415) 960-9367
..!ucbvax!hplabs!oliveb!3comvax!michaelm

	"Of course they answer to their names?" the Gnat remarked
	carelessly.  
		"I never knew them to do it," [said Alice.]  
		"What's the use of their having names," said the
	Gnat, "if they won't answer to them?"  
			Lewis Carroll, *Through the Looking Glass*