Re: The IDS, the EDS and the DBMS

"Dan" <guntermann_at_verizon.com> wrote in message news:Lf5%c.3657$j62.1346_at_trnddc04...
>
> "Laconic2" <laconic2_at_comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:0umdnXtqrfNTy6HcRVn-jQ_at_comcast.com...
> >
> > "Alfredo Novoa" <alfredo_at_ncs.es> wrote in message
> > news:e4330f45.0409060219.52b47c9c_at_posting.google.com...
> >
> [snip]
> And the limitation
> > should be based on the quality of the database, not on the
qualifications
> of
> > the database developer.
> >
> Isn't this a little bit like saying the limitation of health care quality
> should be based on the quality of the health care system, not on the
> qualifications of the doctor? Or the limitation of services in the legal
> profession should be based on the quality of the justice system and
> government, not on a lawyer's own individual merits?
>
> I'm not trying to be confrontational here; I'd just like to understand
your
> point better.
>
> Regards,
>
> Dan
>
>

I don't the the comparision you're making as very exact. You see, the doctor and the lawyer provide a service that cannot be evaluated as such by the client at the appropriate time. But building a database that never gets deployed is pretty much an action without consequences, and shouldn't be limited the same way we license doctors and lawyers.

It's a little like having an intern writte dummy prescriptions that never get filled, or recommend surgery that never gets performed. (I don't know the actual details by which an intern gradually takes on the responsibilities of a real doctor).

In any event, delivering a database for use by a client is a little more like delivering an SUV for a customer to drive away. We can put regulations on the SUV itself with regard to emissions, rollover, and gas tank explosions, but we typically don't require a car designer to have any particular license whatsoever. That's what I meant by evaluating the quality of the database rather than the qualifications of the designer.

Perhaps a better analogy would be to a building architect. I don't know if architects are licensed or not. General contractors certainly are.

The ironic thing is that providing a guarantee of quality of the product is precisely what the software industry does NOT do. If you read the EULA for off the shelf software, like MS Access for example, you will see that the manufacturer expressly does NOT warrant the software to be "merchantable for any particular purpose" or words to that effect. That means the software could misbehave in any way at all and, according to the EULA, the vendor would have no responsibility. I don't think that always holds up in court notwithstanding the wording of the EULA.

As to whether it would be a good idea or a bad idea to require some sort of licensing for IT professionals, I have mixed feelings on that. I really didn't intend to open that whole can of worms at this juncture. Received on Tue Sep 07 2004 - 03:36:24 CEST