Of course what you are saying is true. I didn't mean to imply that I think this is some kind of great litmus test. In fact I think all litmus tests are bullsh

Of course what you are saying is true. I didn't mean to imply that I think this is some kind of great litmus test. In fact I think all litmus tests are bullshit. The uncomfortable truth is that there are probably people out there with no programming experience at all who will be better programmers after a year than some 20 year veterans who have learned enough to get by but just aren't that good. My point was simply if you have to filter on some arbitrary criteria, finding people with a habit and verifiable record of shipping is probably a pretty good indicator.