For a while, it seemed that nobody cared about licensing or certification of programmers, systems analysts, or software engineers. But during the 1990s, the topic has gradually acquired respectability, especially in the area of software quality and auditing. Even more interesting has been the steady growth of vendor-related certification; for example, one can become certified in the use of various tools and technologies from Microsoft, Novell, and many other vendors. And at least in this area, it does seem to matter in the marketplace. Independent consultants and small software companies seem to be convinced that the certificates will give them credibility and a competitive edge in the marketplace. Consequently, we decided that it would be a good idea to examine the subject in more detail in this month's issue of the Cutter IT Journal.