Re: How am I surfing? (Sept. 12)
Regarding your article “”How am I surfing?””, the issue of user awareness and management will continue to gain importance as organizations increasingly rely on
the Internet for business-critical communications. Even though many people feel this is primarily a “”technology”” issue, initiatives to manage the “”human”” side of Internet technologies can only begin to be addressed through a combination of effective policy development, user education and compliance enforcement, driven by the human resources department and senior executives.
Organizations cannot expect their employees or internal users to have sufficient knowledge of Internet tools to make effective use of the Internet without proper guidance and resources. This will not occur until managers place tangible value on liability, risk mitigation, user awareness, and the true hidden or soft costs of managing the use of the Internet.
This issue will always be a moving target that organizations must learn to address on a continuous, real-time, evolving basis. Those who take a pro-active stance on Internet user management will be in a much better position to take advantage of the enabling benefits of the Internet.
Ray Freeman
Re: Has Linux outgrown evangelism? (Aug. 28)
I disagree with Mr. Perens’ assessment that the Open Source Software in Canada report’s conclusion that evangelism is alienating IT managers “”was just naive.”” He was probably just being his typically thoughtful self. I am not inclined to be as diplomatic. The report was just plain wrong and a blatant attempt to increase the corporatization of Free Software and the community that supports it.
Without the passion and idealism that the evangelical proponents of the Free Software movement possess, GNU/Linux and other Free Software projects simply become another vehicle for corporate interests to further enlarge the growing gap in wealth between the haves and have-nots.
The primary reason that proprietary software doesn’t fulfill its promise is because it is corrupted by the perverse, greedy and dishonest aspirations of its controlling interests (i.e. corporations). If the Free Software evangelists disappear and allow the corporations to usurp control over the direction of the movement then the movement has failed and simply allowed one unsatisfactory system (the proprietary one) to be replaced with another (the former Free Software System which would now have to be entitled the Next Corporate Software System).
Peace.
Russ James
Re: School shipments delay 64-bit G5 orders (Sept. 3)
Mr. Lloyd should also check his facts. (See Readers weigh in on . . . from last week.) A successful 64-bit processor would have still been used in the market. DEC’s baby was still-born. What I’m hearing from Mr. Lloyd is a dislike for Apple — which is just fine — I’d prefer two to three more key strokes per function rather than use an Apple also.
Who wants efficiency anyway? Computers are made for HiT and IT grads to get jobs servicing, modifying and programming. The end users better just sit back and be happy they can say that they have a computer and the status that goes with it. Leave the business to the professionals.
Ian Bush
Bush and Associates
Re: Ont. Government discusses salary disparity in IT (Sept. 11)
Your article says, “”IT employees in the Ontario government are not thrilled about sitting beside consultants they know are making twice their salary.””
I am a consultant, and work primarily with the Federal Government. Government employees should remember their indexed, iron-clad pensions and factor that into the equation before they make statements about income parity. When I retire, I have to live on what I have saved during my work career. And I certainly do not make double what federal employees make.
Craig Spec
Security specialist
Unisys Canada Inc.
Re: Ottawa universities collaborate for e-learning project (Aug. 25)
Come on now!
We are told “”14 institutions of higher learning”” are going to participate. Each one functions as a closed “”private”” shop run more often than not by ex-government bureaucrats (Carleton University comes to mind) that are publicly funded.
It’s just another money grab that will not really benefit any students at all, but the bureaucrats who run these closed shops, each with its own Human Resources department, each with its own costly administration.
In my view, it stinks! The whole e-learning project is as bogus as can be.
What needs to be done is to have one human resources department for all the universities in the province with one administration: technology allows that today!
Kenneth Selin
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