[joe_the_user]

But that in itself isn't new...

When Java was young, I remember many tales of Java job advertisements demanding experience extending back before the language existed.

My impression is that the current insanity isn't so much the absurdity of the bureaucratic demands but the degree to which people take them seriously...

[pyre]

I'm pretty sure these instances (which I remember hearing about too) are just example of how out-of-touch HR is. Someone says:

  I need a developer with 10 years of professional
  experience, and he needs to know Java.

HR hears:

  Developer with 10 years of Java experience

That, and we all know that sometimes the job listings are just there so that they can say that they tried to find other applicants, but the friend-of-a-friend is actually the 'best fit' for the job (i.e. those job applicants are designed to fail).