International research firm Gartner hopes the debates at this year`s Symposium/ITxpo will stir up the industry and provide much food for thought as they plan to cover telecommunications policy, Microsoft and open source software.
Gartner`s Symposium/ITxpo, the only one of its kind to be held on the African continent, will take place from 4 to 6 August in Cape Town, and the firm expects about 1 000 delegates from companies and organisations in Africa to attend.
One of our analysts made the remark that Microsoft`s school donation is like distributing free cigarettes on the playground. But, I suppose in many ways it is not entirely a bad thing.
Debra Logan, research chair, Gartner Symposium/ITxpo
Debra Logan, ITxpo research chair, says: "The aim of the debates is to give people something to think about and to provoke industry into considering its options."
The debate surrounding telecommunications policy will include Gartner analyst Bhawani Shankar, who wrote a controversial report about the state of SA telecommunications policy. The report was mentioned in the parliamentary debate on the Department of Communications Budget two weeks ago.
"Debate surrounding the role of government in the telecommunications sector is extensive. There are a lot of pros and cons to just how involved government should be. In some countries government has helped spur on the penetration of Internet access, while in other countries it has not worked so well," Logan says.
Should Microsoft own your pocket?
The debate entitled, "Should Microsoft own your pocket?" centers on the US software giant`s strategy of supplying software and devices for the mobile market. This is considered particularly relevant to this country due to the proliferation of cellphones with more than 12 million people using them.
"SA companies need to pay attention to this debate as the increase in the demand for mobile services will mean that choices could be limited," Logan says.
The open source debate
Open source software will get a good airing in the third debate and this topic is considered particularly relevant considering the SA government`s own commitment to it, and the efforts of organisations such as the Shuttleworth Foundation to promote its use in schools. This issue has been complicated by Microsoft`s donation of free software to all government owned schools ensuring that generations of South African`s will grow up learning its products.
"One of our analysts made the remark that Microsoft`s school donation is like distributing free cigarettes on the playground. But, I suppose in many ways it is not entirely a bad thing," Logan says.
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