Monthly Archives: November 2003

Paper trail demanded

Posted on by Kathy E. Gill

California’s Secretary of State has ruled that all electronic voting machines used in the Golden State must be able to print a paper ballot. The crux? The requirement doesn’t kick in until 2006. And it is “must be able to” … not just “must.”

Some analysts suggest that this means counties will buy the less-expensive optical scanners. Given that just about every county/state in the country is swimming in red ink, how can this be a bad decision? Oh. Right. It disenfranchises disabled people.

I’m all for creating universal access. That does not equate, in my mind at least, to having touch-screen terminals for every voter. Some of us still use stairs, instead of ramps. The same could be true for voting.

In fact, I propose that every citizen who is concerned about accountability (paper audit trail) in the 2004 election vow today to vote absentee.

Links: Fox (25 Nov); The Columbian (24 Nov); Capital Times (Madison, WI – 22 Nov); SJ Mercury News (22 Nov); Seattle Times (22 Nov); Wired (21 Nov); WiredPen (19 Nov)

First, kill all the lawyers

Posted on by Kathy E. Gill

While reading about Microsoft’s current court dealings, I couldn’t help but recall Shakespeare’s words. I’ll leave the judgment as to whether he was endorsing or cursing the legal profession for the reader to Google; to me, it is the later.

First, there is Burst.com — a firm that worked with Microsoft for two years (will people ever learn?) before being tossed aside like a dirty shirt. Soon thereafter, surprise!, Microsoft’s Media Player wouldn’t read their broadcasts (v7) and, later, seemed to incorporate their patents (v9).

In the most recent development in that 18-month-old case, a judge ordered Microsoft to find missing e-mails which could substantiate Burst.com’s claims, according to the Seattle PI (this is the most widely reported of the three cases).
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Dell brings work home from India

Posted on by Kathy E. Gill

In a move that runs 180-degrees counter to U.S. trends, Dell is moving some technical supports jobs back to the U.S.

The Austin American-Statesman reported Saturday that Dell was responding to corporate customer complaints; business customers account for most of the firm’s revenue.

Dell moved these jobs offshore three years ago. Some analysts may suggest this is another sign that the economy is improving, but I think that it is a stronger indication that customer support — not price — is where firms are competing in today’s homogenous hardware market.

This action reinforces the UN report on technology (Wiredpen, 21 Nov), which suggested that firms “don’t fully understand the costs and benefits” of those actions.

The Statesman noted that

A recent Stanford University study estimates that Indian call centers have picked up 200,000 jobs since March 2002. Gartner Inc., the tech research firm, estimates that U.S. information technology companies will move one in 10 jobs offshore by the end of the year.

UN gives nod to open source software

Posted on by Kathy E. Gill

On the eve of the first World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), the United Nations (UN) has issued its third E-Commerce and Development Report, which focuses on information and communications technologies (ICT).

Media have focused on the report’s observations on offshore outsourcing. However, there are other interesting bits in the report.

For instance, the report gives a positive nod to open source software:

This development [free and open source software (FOSS)] challenges preconceptions about how software should be produced and distributed and has important development implications….

it allows collaborative development in software production, easier integration with other programmes that can be produced by independent programmers, and customization of software to meet the commercial, regulatory, cultural and linguistic requirements of users…

Experience so far has shown that open-source environments often produce reliable, secure and upgradable software at a comparably low cost to users….

The use of FOSS can have an anti-monopolistic effect on the IT market and industry in a country and globally….

To take advantage of these benefits, the report recommends that developing countries consider adopting FOSS as a means of bridging the digital divide.

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