Comment Re:BCS and ACM have one (Score 2, Insightful) 550
Hmm yes I was about to point that out as well :-).
The problem with guideliens such as this, however, is that they are perhaps not applicable to a wide-enough range of people and they can't be strictly enforced. A practicing professional in the UK (who is probably a member of the BCS) is certainly obliged to comply with the guidelines (or risks "expulsion" from the professional community) but such a person (or company) is unlikely to deliberately write harmful software such as viruses etc. anyway. And to people that do write virues, the BCS is unlikely to represent an authority.
In general, breaking BCS guidelines also means breaking the law - whether that is (or can be) enforced to a sufficient extent, is a different matter.
The problem with guideliens such as this, however, is that they are perhaps not applicable to a wide-enough range of people and they can't be strictly enforced. A practicing professional in the UK (who is probably a member of the BCS) is certainly obliged to comply with the guidelines (or risks "expulsion" from the professional community) but such a person (or company) is unlikely to deliberately write harmful software such as viruses etc. anyway. And to people that do write virues, the BCS is unlikely to represent an authority.
In general, breaking BCS guidelines also means breaking the law - whether that is (or can be) enforced to a sufficient extent, is a different matter.
