Password change fails in SQL Developer with verify function...

Question

A couple of months ago I enforced a password verify function on our 11.2.0.3 databases and also one legacy 10.2.0.4 database.
At the time I tested on my account (which had elevated privileges...doh!).   Now some users are hitting expiry, they can't change it via SQL Developer.
If I create a user with 'create session' privilege and set their profile to one that uses the verify function (see both below), I then log in to SQL Developer (we have tried with versions 3.1 (Windows) and 3.2 (Linux) with same failure results.
BTW,.. the password verify function enforces the following:
password must be minimum of 8 characters
password must not be the same as the user name, or user name (1-100)
password must contain at least a single digit
password must contain at least a single character
1. Works = I log into the local server and run command line SQLPlus, type 'password' and update.   I can successfully change my password.
2. Fails = I log into the local server and run command line SQLPlus, type 'alter user <me> identified by <newpwd>;' I get:
TEST: SUTEMP > alter user sutemp identified by carport9999;
alter user sutemp identified by carport9999
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-28221: REPLACE not specified
This error is because the account does not have the 'alter user' privilege.   I'm okay with this, as I don't want our users having this privilege.
3. I start SQL Developer 3.2, type 'alter user <me> identified by <newpwd>;' I get the same ORA-28221 error as above.   That is fine, and as expected.
4. Now in SQL Developer, I type 'password', set a valid password, but I get 'Failed to change password' in the Script Output tab.
I have a database 'after servererror on database' trigger set, and querying the database table it is logging into, I see a record with a date stamp matching my failure with a server_error=28221 (the same as above).
So I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong here, or if this is a bug in SQL Developer.   I don't want standard users having 'alter user' privileges, but I do want to enforce password verification.
I get the same result on three 11.2.0.3 databases (haven't tried any more but suspect same results for others) and one legacy 10.2.0.4 database, and using SQL Developer 3.1 and 3.2.
DBA_PROFILE used:
PROFILE   
RESOURCE_NAME  
RESOURCE LIMIT
CTRU  
COMPOSITE_LIMIT  
KERNEL     DEFAULT
CTRU  
SESSIONS_PER_USER  
KERNEL     10
CTRU  
CPU_PER_SESSION  
KERNEL     DEFAULT
CTRU  
CPU_PER_CALL  
KERNEL     DEFAULT
CTRU  
LOGICAL_READS_PER_SESSION    KERNEL     DEFAULT
CTRU  
LOGICAL_READS_PER_CALL  
KERNEL     DEFAULT
CTRU  
IDLE_TIME  
KERNEL     DEFAULT
CTRU  
CONNECT_TIME  
KERNEL     DEFAULT
CTRU  
PRIVATE_SGA  
KERNEL     DEFAULT
CTRU  
FAILED_LOGIN_ATTEMPTS  
PASSWORD 10
CTRU  
PASSWORD_LIFE_TIME  
PASSWORD 180
CTRU  
PASSWORD_REUSE_TIME  
PASSWORD DEFAULT
CTRU  
PASSWORD_REUSE_MAX  
PASSWORD 5
CTRU  
PASSWORD_VERIFY_FUNCTION     PASSWORD VERIFY_FUNCTION_11G
CTRU  
PASSWORD_LOCK_TIME  
PASSWORD .002
CTRU  
PASSWORD_GRACE_TIME  
PASSWORD 21
16 rows selected.
Verify Function used:
$ cat utlpwdmg.sql
Rem
Rem $Header: utlpwdmg.sql 02-aug-2006.08:18:05 asurpur Exp $
Rem
Rem utlpwdmg.sql
Rem
Rem Copyright (c) 2006, Oracle. All rights reserved.
Rem
Rem    NAME
Rem      utlpwdmg.sql - script for Default Password Resource Limits
Rem
Rem    DESCRIPTION
Rem      This is a script for enabling the password management features
Rem      by setting the default password resource limits.
Rem
Rem    NOTES
Rem      This file contains a function for minimum checking of password
Rem      complexity. This is more of a sample function that the customer
Rem      can use to develop the function for actual complexity checks that the
Rem      customer wants to make on the new password.
Rem
Rem    MODIFIED   (MM/DD/YY)
Rem    suren       05/09/13 - customise for NIHI use
Rem    asurpur     05/30/06 - fix - 5246666 beef up password complexity check
Rem    nireland    08/31/00 - Improve check for username=password. #1390553
Rem    nireland    06/28/00 - Fix null old password test. #1341892
Rem    asurpur     04/17/97 - Fix for bug479763
Rem    asurpur     12/12/96 - Changing the name of password_verify_function
Rem    asurpur     05/30/96 - New script for default password management
Rem    asurpur     05/30/96 - Created
Rem
-- This script sets the default password resource parameters
-- This script needs to be run to enable the password features.
-- However the default resource parameters can be changed based
-- on the need.
-- A default password complexity function is also provided.
-- This function makes the minimum complexity checks like
-- the minimum length of the password, password not same as the
-- username, etc. The user may enhance this function according to
-- the need.
-- This function must be created in SYS schema.
-- connect sys/<password> as sysdba before running the script
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION verify_function_11G
(username varchar2,
  password varchar2,
  old_password varchar2)
  RETURN boolean IS
   n boolean;
   m integer;
   differ integer;
   isdigit boolean;
   ischar  boolean;
   ispunct boolean;
   db_name varchar2(40);
   digitarray varchar2(20);
   punctarray varchar2(25);
   chararray varchar2(52);
   i_char varchar2(10);
   simple_password varchar2(10);
   reverse_user varchar2(32);
BEGIN
   digitarray:= '0123456789';
   chararray:= 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ';
   -- Check for the minimum length of the password
   IF length(password) < 8 THEN
      raise_application_error(-20001, 'Password length less than 8');
   END IF;
   -- Check if the password is same as the username or username(1-100)
   IF NLS_LOWER(password) = NLS_LOWER(username) THEN
     raise_application_error(-20002, 'Password same as or similar to user');
   END IF;
   FOR i IN 1..100 LOOP
      i_char := to_char(i);
      if NLS_LOWER(username)|| i_char = NLS_LOWER(password) THEN
        raise_application_error(-20005, 'Password same as or similar to user name ');
      END IF;
    END LOOP;
   -- Check if the password contains at least one letter, one digit
   -- 1. Check for the digit
   isdigit:=FALSE;
   m := length(password);
   FOR i IN 1..10 LOOP
      FOR j IN 1..m LOOP
         IF substr(password,j,1) = substr(digitarray,i,1) THEN
            isdigit:=TRUE;
             GOTO findchar;
         END IF;
      END LOOP;
   END LOOP;
   IF isdigit = FALSE THEN
      raise_application_error(-20008, 'Password must contain at least one digit, one character');
   END IF;
   -- 2. Check for the character
   <<findchar>>
   ischar:=FALSE;
   FOR i IN 1..length(chararray) LOOP
      FOR j IN 1..m LOOP
         IF substr(password,j,1) = substr(chararray,i,1) THEN
            ischar:=TRUE;
             GOTO endsearch;
         END IF;
      END LOOP;
   END LOOP;
   IF ischar = FALSE THEN
      raise_application_error(-20009, 'Password must contain at least one digit, and one character');
   END IF;
   <<endsearch>>
   -- Check if the password differs from the previous password by at least
   -- 3 letters
   IF old_password IS NOT NULL THEN
     differ := length(old_password) - length(password);
     differ := abs(differ);
     IF differ < 3 THEN
       IF length(password) < length(old_password) THEN
         m := length(password);
       ELSE
         m := length(old_password);
       END IF;
       FOR i IN 1..m LOOP
         IF substr(password,i,1) != substr(old_password,i,1) THEN
           differ := differ + 1;
         END IF;
       END LOOP;
       IF differ < 3 THEN
         raise_application_error(-20011, 'Password should differ from the old password by at least 3 characters');
       END IF;
     END IF;
   END IF;
   -- Everything is fine; return TRUE ;
   RETURN(TRUE);
END;
alter profile ctru limit password_verify_function verify_function_11g;
alter profile default limit password_verify_function verify_function_11g;
alter profile web_and_it limit password_verify_function verify_function_11g;

Answer 1

okay,... I just saw another website which shows I should put in the 'replace <oldpwd>' clause in.
This works in SQL Developer:     alter user sutemp identified by carport999 replace garage999;
So why does the 'password' command fail?     (Developers:  it would also be helpful to have the ORA- error displayed as opposed to 'Failed to change password')