Independent Programmers' No-Win Scenario

snydeq writes "Fatal Exception's Neil McAllister writes about the no-win scenario facing today's independent programmers: 'In a knowledge economy, programmers rank among our most valuable workers, yet the current legal and regulatory climate makes a career as an independent software developer virtually a dead-end prospect.' Section 1706 of the 1986 Tax Reform Act, the hurdles and costs of obtaining health care for one's own family, a hostile legal climate in search of accountability for any defects in code — these harsh realities make it 'easy to see why software developers would give up on entrepreneurship. For many, the risks simply don't match the potential rewards. Better to keep their heads down, not rock the boat, and hope they can hang onto their jobs until retirement.' Great news for big software vendors, which will be 'ensured an endless supply of programmers desperate for the safe haven of a steady paycheck, predictable taxation, health benefits, and a shield from civil prosecution when their code turns up buggy. But where will the next Microsoft come from? A field that discourages self-reliance sends the message that the status quo is the highest goal.'"

Re:Not Completely True

[mikes.song]

You're more optimistic than I am. I read that and think, 'build it once, and support it forever.'

My EULA says forever is 90 days.

Re:Ask Joe Stack

[Anonymous Coward]

If you had read the article ...

You must be new here! Welcome!

Outcompete lawyers

[Kim0]

Stuff like this is an attack on programmers from people with lawyer education.

We damaged or destroyed the music industry.
We could do that to lawyers and judges as well.
Considering their general low quality, they could in most cases be replaced with simple machine intelligence and data mining. Do this with open source and collaboration, and they will be displaced just like peopled stock exchanges.

Of course there will be a transition period, but when computer guided actors playing lawyers in court rooms win significantly more cases than real lawyers, and computers are better at judging than judges, people will treat them as the obsolete guild they are. The survivors will be lawyers that understands computing.

Kim0

Re:Why just programmers?

[Anonymous Coward]

to all intensive purposes

It's "to all intents and purposes [answers.com]", geeze! You Brits were supposed to know how to speak American!

Re:Another reason to escape the USA

[gestalt_n_pepper]

Arrrrr. Aye Matey, I wish this *was* a joke.
http://www.sea-code.com/ [sea-code.com]

Re:yeah. its much better to be p0wned

[cromar]

Thanks for not sharing any insight with us though :)