>Were the programs implemented by a less numerous but higher quality workforce I think the state of software would be much better.
While I understand the desire to improve the quality of programming, I don't think what you're proposing would do that. I think all it would do is encourage horrible enterprise practices to spread and create vendor lock-in as smaller companies become less able to compete.
" I think all it would do is encourage horrible enterprise practices to spread and create vendor lock-in as smaller companies become less able to compete."
I suppose it depends on whether the seed population in this parallel universe were composed of lisp hackers or architecture astronauts :)
I think there is a kind of a institutional schizophreny on the role of the modern programmer since the first programmers were mostly a mechanical part of the machine translation process, punching cards for programs written by someone else. I believe this historical trait has skewed the perception of the requirements for the profession.