They've been true for over a century at this point though. Since I assume you aren't complaining about every vehicle ever produced not being signed by PEs, what is it about software that you think it should require a PE stamp when hardware should not?

> They've been true for over a century at this point though.

The duration of the status quo doesn’t feel at all relevant to my argument.

> what is it about software that you think it should require a PE stamp when hardware should not?

Any profession of system design whose failure mode is “people die” would better serve a culture that abhors preventable deaths if governed by the same licensure, liability, professional ethics and independent verification used by electrical and structural engineering. I don’t make any distinction between hardware and software, but this article happens to be about software, so that’s what we’re discussing.