Maybe it's my age talking but if a company pulled that on me here's what I'd do:
Show up on Monday without a computer. When asked, explain that they're the employer, its standard to pay for a work machine for me, and that its downright pathetic that they can't or won't.
Yes, I'd call them out. It's clearly a power move, and I'd put it right back to them. Pathetic.
I have considered that. The only reason I will bring it with me is if I need to fill out any other on-boarding paper work, but that is the limit. Maybe off-boarding as well if they don't take it well.
I think the general hacker culture of most programmers prevents this. There's an undercurrent of anti-establishment, anti-authority, anti-management, etc... To think that the industry might choose to self enforce a license system seems very unlikely.
I've come to dislike hacker culture. Worst part is that when the hackers succeed with their objectives and take over systems; they become the authority coordinating others and they are often 10x worse than the authorities who came before them. They just focus on extracting money for themselves, pulling up the ladder behind them and building moats instead. There's nothing anti-establishment about it at the end of the day, they just join the establishment and make it much more oppressive for the next generation.
I think another reason this hasn't happened is sheer complexity of the modern software stack. No one fully understand how everything works, in principle or in details. You can't certify someone or establish principles for things no one understands anything about.
