bobmark - 5:50 pm on Sep 30, 2002 (gmt 0)

bcc1234,
Most other industries seem to exist without the shroud of secrecy that SE's invoke. In most cases, standards are a matter of public record and those in the industry can conform to them or try to cut corners at their peril. The problem is, we don't know precisely what practices SE's define as unacceptable or - other than by trial and error - know what is acceptable this month as opposed to last month.