> This is like saying only carpenters should be able to design houses. Sure there are some excellent carpenters that are also good architects, but most are not.

> This is like saying only carpenters should be able to design houses. Sure there are some excellent carpenters that are also good architects, but most are not. There obviously needs to be good communication between the carpenters and the architect but these are distinctly separate functions. The carpenter is more like the compiler in this analogy: it merely follows the blueprints. The structural engineer is in charge of said blueprints. The architect can mock and draw whatever he wants; if it's not structurally sound it's simply not getting the engineer's signature and seal. I've worked with great software architects (most of who wouldn't use the tittle seriously) and all of them had one thing in common: a solid engineering background and a track record of solid design.