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Adventurers are soldiers of fortune, routinely encountering new and bizarre circumstances, constantly in peril.
Perception should be an assumed skill for anyone who has leveled 'in the field'. Just roll it into the leveling experience, with some additional bonuses for certain races and classes.
Also, when you remove Perception from the skill list, the remaining skills look a might more balanced against one another.
Blarg!
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It's a skill that should be able to be used untrained, but it doen't neccessarily have to be on a class-skill list.
A fighter is in the middle of melee and doesn't have to notice the sneaky man in the corner. The rogue on the other hand is sniping from the other side of the room and probably would see him.
Oh, and it's BLARRGH!!! B-L-A-R-R-G-H. ;-)
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Almost all campaigns put the characters in a heightened state of situational awareness, for long periods of time. It's the occupational paranoia of Profession: Adventurer, if you will. It's the combat readiness that comes with levels earned through living a dangerous life. It's common to all PCs.
Make it inherent I say!
Blarg is Chelaxian for Blarrgh, you slip! ;)
Put my vote down for Perception as a class skill.
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I do like the idea of making perception a class skill for everyone. And certainly it would be a good choice for everyone to take ranks in it. But just as I don't think a character should automatically have all of his chosen skills maxed out, I don't think a character should be forced to take the skill (even for free).
If I want to make a character based on Inspector Gadget who is completely oblivious to EVERYTHING going on around me, trusting in my companions to help me through it, the rules should support that character just as much as one based on Conan.
I like choices. The more choices, the better. And part of being able to choose one thing is being able to not choose that thing, even if that is not considered a good choice by most people.
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The boards ate my post...
To restate what I said, I like it as a class skill for everone. I don't like everyone getting free ranks or the equivalent. Being able to choose to see approaching threats - good. Being able to choose not to approaching threats - also good.
Even though most people would prefer to take the skill, they should have to give up a skill from somewhere else. This means I could make a character based on Inspector Gadget if I wanted to - and even though it might not make sense to anyone else, that should be just as legitimate a choice as Indiana Jones, Conan or Drizz't or whatever his name is. Expanding choices is almost always good.