I look at the historical basis of the white collar/blue collar divide in defining occupations, and the problems this distinction has with comprehending modern roles like engineering and various technician occupations. I then have difficulty fitting software roles into any of those categories. This is important because it helps to understand the various commitments practitioners make to different organisations: professional societies, their employers, trade unions, technology user groups, craft guilds and so on.
Finally, there’s a call for you: what have you seen of various modes of organisation in your experience in software? Please do let me know by commenting below or emailing grahamlee@acm.org.
