Are programmers overpaid?: Someone posted this simple question on one of Spolsky’s forums. The ensuing discussion was…rollicking.
The first comment started off the goodness:
I think the good ones are underpaid. If a medical doctor earns 200k to 300k a year, the good programmers should earn that.
This comment added to the fun:
My brother’s wife makes $350,000 a year as a dermatologist, and all she does is choose from five different sorts of creams to prescribe.
I’m guessing that someone pointed this thread out to a doctor, because the comments get really good after that. Worth skimming.
Software Horror Stories: I found this link buried in the argument between doctors and progammers. It's a big list of instances where software errors have caused serious problems "beyond the system," including death. Some highlights: The 1988 shooting down of the Airbus 320 by the USS Vincennes was attributed…