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A Strategic Publication

ISSN 1039-5008

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features departments

Virtual sorority 18

Dale Spender would like her PC better if it was purple, but

she’d settle for a fair deal for women in cyberspace. Adam

Lincoln speaks with the online feminist.

Taking IT to the top 24

Dorothy Kennedy meets Sam Mostyn, a senior IT

adviser to the PM - and a woman to boot.

Less wants more 26

Grant Butler visits Jakarta, where the potentials and pitfalls of IT in

developing nations was on the agenda of a major conference.

Shanghai survivor 32Freelance IT contractor

Jo Walker recounts his experience of IT project management,

Shanghai style.

Wired and dangerous 36On a day in 1997, Australia’s

artistic youth will showcase their talents in a virtual festival. Dorothy

Kennedy looks at plans for this Very Cool Event.

The memory corporate 40

Success in the information age depends on skilful management of electronic information. Lee Welch

looks at the importance of preserving the corporate memory.

lonaget ninety five

5 ConvergenceLetters to the editor

6 FluxusCelebrity bytes: opera diva Rita Hunter wants a computer to clean her house * Look Hugh’s troubles have gone online • MIS 100 showcases Australia’s states of flux • Daryl Hannah trades in flippers for wings at Rocktropolis

8 InformerHighlights of the month’s news in review

43 FutureworkPerpetual motion Griffith University’s Marilyn Beamish looks at the future of IT project management.

46 Society pagesWelcome to the IT wonderworld • news round up • ACS blueprint — towards 2000 * ACS-link revamp • professional diary

50 TechnicalitiesFundamentally Fuzzy Josephine Zananiri clarifies the concept of fuzzy logic.

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Cover photography: Belinda Mason32

august ninety five

3

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I’m feeling rather privileged. I was one of the first people to read one of the most important books yet written about the current information revolution.

No, it isn’t Nicholas Negroponte’s Being Digital. And Clifford Stoll and Arthur C Clark are nowhere in sight. The book I refer to was written by Dale Spender — a girl, for goodness sake. What’s the cyberworld coming to?

When I interviewed Spender, she told me I was the first person after her sister and editor to read Nattering on the Net: Women, Power and

Cyberspace. This means I am the first boy to read it.Many men will recoil at the thought of Dale Spender venturing into

‘their’ domain. I can hear it now: “What does she know about information technology?” Well, she knows quite a bit, after surviving a steep learning curve in recent years. Spender also knows an awful lot about human nature, and historical precedent. Worthy qualifications, for the book is

Editor Adam Lincoln, Assistant Editor Kirsty Harris, Editorial Assistant Cass Warneminde, Art &c Production Editor Murray Finlayson, Layout Artist Sarah Stothart, Advertising Sales Manager David Lowe, Circulation Services Sarah McKee, Editorial Director Graeme Philipson, Publisher Alistair Gordon. Published by Strategic Publishing Group, Level 6, 131 York Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Postal address: PO Box Q400, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney NSW 2000. Ph: (02) 286 5900 Fax: (02) 267 2094. InformationAge is the official monthly publication of the Australian Computer Society (ACS), and is published monthly February- November by Strategic Publishing Group, on licence from the ACS. The Australian Computer Society, PO Box 319 Darlinghurst, NSW 2010. Ph: (02) 211 5855 Fax: (02) 281 1208. President Garry Trinder Vice-presidents John Manders, Prins Ralston Past President Geoff Dober National Treasurer Glen Heinrich Publications Board Director John Hughes Contributing Editor for ACS Caroline New CEO Arthur Dyster. Editorial Advisory Board: Michael Doyle, Graham Keen, Frank Liebeskind, Allan Milgate, Chris Rawlinson, Arthur Tatnall, Robin Wiley. Subscriptions: $36.00 (10 issues). Copies are distributed free to members of the ACS. All material in InformationAge is protected under the Commonwealth Copyright Act 1968. Film output and colour proofs by ACP Colour Graphics. Printed by Offset Alpine Printing. ACN 054 973 652 ISSN 1039-5008

ultimately about people, and the impact of computers on society.The Internet, as the incumbent information superhypeway, attracts

its fair share of controversy. A good case in point is Time magazine’s recent cover story on cyberporn, which turned out to be based on evidence of dubious quality, gathered by inexperienced researchers at a US university. Amid claims that the article overstated the problem, the magazine was forced to backstep a bit.

This is a pity. Media beat-ups surely happen, but who really knows how bad cyberporn and sexual harassment are on the Internet? Let’s face it, we don’t really know exactly how many people are on the Net. The pity is that beat-ups undermine serious discussion of the issues.

judging by Spender’s book, there is genuine cause for concern — and quantity should not be the main prerequisite for debate. Some of the case studies of harassment in the book are simply nauseating. They reinforce the worst stereotypes of men in computing.

We’d all be better off if the guys who think it’s their right to intimidate the women who’ve dared to ‘go digital’ would grow up, and get a life — preferably on another planet.

■P.S. Before I get into trouble for referring to Dale Spender as a ‘girl’:

I’ve only dared do it because she does it herself. It’s part of the Spender style. Sure, she’ll do just about anything to get a fair deal for women.But she also has a sense of humour — something a few more

’CAB'AUDIT

Average distribution (period ended 31/3/95) 15,481

cybercitizens could do with, no doubt.

_ /7 Si /n

STRATEGIC PUBLISHING GROUP

Adam Lincoln - Editor

mhs.adaml@spg [email protected] Box Q400, Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, 2000

august ninety five

mailto:[email protected]

informationage convergence

The facts of lifeRe: Marion Blair’s letter in the July issue of Information Age.

The ACS was presented with an opportunity to have Thomsett, Constantine and Yourdon present “Reinventing IS/IT” to members. But Ed was available for only one week in Australia, including his arrival day and his departure day.

The economic reality was that we had to have an average of 150 paying folk in each of the three cities to break even. Breaking even is important in these activities so that non-attending ACS members are not subsidising the attendees.

After a lot of unproductive nail biting and productive marketing we were rewarded with adequate numbers in Brisbane (100 attendees), Sydney (200 attendees) and Melbourne (180 attendees). We also attracted over 100 new members as a result of the activity.

We were aware that many of the ACS members in the smaller branches (small by way of numbers of ACS members, not by hectares) would have missed this unique opportunity to see these three IT luminaries together, even though we had arranged a 45 per cent airfare discount in the hope of attracting interstate attendees. Keeping in mind those members unable to attend, we made a video of most of the proceedings. (We were kind to Rob Thomsett in the edit room and edited out the bits where he could not get the air mouse to work and his friend Larry Constantine gave him a yellow duck to use instead ... it appears that Rob’s fingers have a devastating effect on any technological device, the symptom being that, as Rob approaches, the electronics seize up. The jury is still out on what actually causes this.)

Marion Blair’s concerns are quite

valid but I hope that this explanation shows that we are indeed the Australian Computer Society, and that we try very hard to ensure our members across this vast nation are treated equally.

Members can purchase the video for approximately the same cost as being there. There is one and a half hours each of Larry, Rob and Ed, with another one and a half hours of the panel session. Individuals can buy it and watch it alone, or organisations can buy it to be viewed by a group. I expect many of those attending will buy it and enjoy the replay as much as they enjoyed actually being there.

The ACS/AIIA joint national congress, ITWorld95, is on in Queensland in late September. It will not be going to the other states because of constraints in doing so. Good speakers are busy people who can find a day out of their lives to share experiences with our members, but they can’t sacrifice the two weeks that it would involve to visit each of our eight branches and do repeat performances.

ITWorld95 has secured Qantas as the congress carrier, and those who book early enough will receive a 45 per cent discount off the economy airfare. One of our keynote speakers is from Western Australia: Michele Dolin from Challenge Bank will present a paper on “What Senior Management Should be Demanding from IT”, so we will be able to experience some of that WA knowledge transfer that Marion Blair referred to. I hope that many members from all states will participate in the National Congress, and share in this, and the other cases of knowledge transfer, that takes place at such national events.

Alan Underwood ACS Professional Development

Board Director

Make mine paperI recently attended a three day conference for computer professionals. The organisers proudly supplied the presented papers on diskettes. The software used for this was arranged by the main conference sponsor. It was proudly claimed that “conference papers are available using the latest technology”. In fact, the system took about 80 minutes to load on my PC, it was tedious to use, and the papers were just about impossible to read from a screen.

What? You want papers in hard copy? No, sorry. We are providing them on diskettes — feel free to print them off, if you like.

I note that the International Lederation for Information Processing will be having a conference (World Computer Congress) in Canberra next year. Again, it is proudly claimed that “the publications from the conference will not be in print”. A CD-ROM will “capture the essence of the proceedings”.

How can we as professionals expect the rest of the world to feel at ease with information technology when this sort of Orwellian doublethink occurs? And nobody in the IT industry or academia raises a murmur? Am I going mad? Am I over sensitive?

If I am going to pay more than a week’s wages, surely I have a right to expect the papers to be available for me to read and annotate during the conference. I want to be able to read the details on the plane going home. Or on the train when going to work. Diskettes and CD-ROMs are fine — provided I have the choice of also receiving them in hard copy.

There is something wrong when the IT providers start making the rules about what users want. There is also something wrong when none of the users complain.

Michael DoyleBroadford, VIC

august ninety five

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Sydney versus Melbourne item #876:Strategic Publishing Group’s MIS100, out this month, shows that 30 per cent of the top 100 IT using organisations in Australasia are in NSW, the most populous state and /^ij increasingly the economic - powerhouse. Victoria, home to f&Zgfi'i.

23 per cent of the top 100, was £ once regarded as the financial centre of Australia, but is gradually losing its dominance. Nevertheless^^

many very large organisations are £ still located there, and Melbourne is home to five of the top 10, while Sydney is home to only two.

Third on the rankings is the ACT (17 per cent), home to all those government megadepartments. Queensland, the fastest growing state and a hotbed of economic activity, has 12 of the top 100 users. Western Australia has a disproportionately large share at 7 per cent, due to a long standing strong focus on IT by the government, and its relative isolation. Its population also recently surpassed South Australia’s, and it is the fastest growing state after Queensland.

South Australia and the Northern Territory have one user each, with New Zealand making up the remaining 9 per cent.

Does your organisation make the grade? The MIS100 tells all, and it’s available on newsstands this month.

traded Hannahi guides N evirtual c a site World Rocktropo http:/www / m u s i c / g e n r < rocktropolis

august ninety five

6

informationage

British actor Hugh Grant probably

Virtualpublicity

wished a hole in the ground would swallow him alive when he Was caught engaging in “lewd conduct” with Hollywood

^’..hooker Divine Brown in a BMW parked in a side street off Sunset Boulevard.

As if saturation media coverage was not enough, Internet surfers were kept abreast of developments courtesy of Web site “Mr Showbiz”, a movie and entertainment magazine that is a must for every film junkie’s hotlist.A few of Mr Showbiz’s seven departments are updated daily. There’s news and reviews, a real-time chat area, and regular surveys on the world’s important issues. A highlight is group therapy: “Is there something that bothers you about a certain celebrity?” or “An unknown celebrity you’d like to praise?” Mr Showbiz will let you get it out of your system.

As far as the Hugh Grant - Liz Hurley saga goes, all sorts of interesting information has been on offer. For instance, did you know that post-indiscretion, Hugh’s popularity with prison inmates soared? Or that while Liz attended the premiere of Hugh’s new film Nine Months in Los Angeles in July, she skipped the post-screening party? Or that Nine Months threw down an early challenge to the box office supremacy of the new Tom Hanks space adventure, Apollo 13?

As for Hugh’s film career, well, his future seems assured.41 per cent of respondents to a Mr Showbiz survey said they were more likely to go to a Hugh Grant film now that he has tarnished his image a bit. Only 12 per cent said they were turned off by the whole circus.

If you are partial to a bit of entertainment industry chitchat, “Mr Showbiz” in the ‘run query’ field at your local friendly net search engine.

“Honest officer, he said he was a computer expert, and offered me some hands-on experience with his laptop. ”

celebritybytes

You’re at a party and someone tells you they work in computing. What’s the first thought that springs to mind?Will they talk about it all night and make me feel stupid?

What application of information technology most amazes you?The prospect of the Internet and CD-ROMs.

What, if anything, do you consider the biggest downside of IT?The manuals. They scared me stiff, when I began to read them for my laptop. I thought I’d have to tell it what to do, but I now have an idiot sheet whose first words are: (1) switch the computer on, etc!

If you could make IT perform any function or solve any problem, what would it be?Do my washing and my dishes!

If you could experience virtual anything, what would it be?For me, with my students, to feel we were standing on all the great theatre stages of the world that I have sung on, for them to experience facing a 4000-5000 seat theatre audience — intimidating to say the least.

Born in Chesire, England, Rita Hunter’s first appearance in opera was at the age of 14 as Buttercup in a school production of HMS Pinafore. Her ongoing distinguished career includes appearances as leading soprano with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Staatsoper Munich, the Australian Opera and others. Her acclaimed performances have included roles as Wagner’s Brunnhilde, Bellini’s Norma, Puccini’s Turandot, and Verdi’s Aida. She is also in great demand as a Sydney based singing teacher.

august ninety five

7

informationage informer

highlights of the monthin reviewBig guys spitting chips

The competition between RISC (reduced instruction set

computing) and CISC (complex instruction set computing) has hit new heights, with the powerful consortium of IBM, Apple and Motorola upping the stakes in the RISC battle against CISC chip maker Intel. Apple has incorporated Motorola’s RISC chips into two thirds of its machines, and has shipped over a million units of RISC based product in the first 10 months of availability. Apple believes that the end of 16-bit DOS environments will mark the beginning of RISC dominance in the new 32-bit market. Intel begs to differ, saying the debate between the two technologies has been dead since 1989.

The Australian, 20 June

No ‘tips’ from govt hacker

Public servant Peter Mackay, 37, has been sentenced to nine months

in prison in the wake of confidential documents from the Attorney- General’s Department being leaked to Opposition justice spokesperson Amanda Vanstone. Although Mackay’s stint in jail may be as short as three months if he agrees to a three year, $3000 good behaviour bond, he will be prevented from making public any details of his activities.

Computer Daily News, 22 June

Trading in new places

Austrade has joined the online push, setting up a World Wide

Web home page dedicated to

promoting Australian companies in the global marketplace, as well as educating local clients about the organisation’s role. “Australian companies need exposure overseas,” says Kamal Sarma, Austrade senior manager of strategic marketing. “We are about to get this through the Internet because it is such an international medium.” Client feedback indicates that before the page was established, most had no idea of the services provided by Austrade. “The Internet was clearly a good medium to tell our clients within Australia what we can do for them,” Sarma says.

Computerworld, 23 June

A credit to cooperation

MasterCard International and Visa International have decided that two is better than one, joining forces

to bring secure transactions via credit card to open networks such as the Internet. Specifications will be announced in September; customers will partake from early 1996.


Decency assaults free speech in porn war

The US Senate has passed the Community Decency Act, designed to censor indecent content

transmitted on the Internet and commercial online services. The move has sparked rows over possible breaches of the US consititutional right to freedom of speech.

“My, how the Oklahoma bombing has screwed things up for us, with every politician taking a tough stance on whatever is today’s bogeyman to

august ninety five

8

score points,” says Internet service provider Rhys Weatherley. The Act has spawned an unlikely alliance between Microsoft, Netscape Communications and Progressive Networks. The consortium has announced the formation of the Information Highway Parental Empowerment Group (IHPEG) to help parents monitor their children’s online useage.


Onlineroyalty rights

Royalties from electroniccopyrights should be tracked by

the authors, says Anne Deveson, filmmaker and chair of the Australian Society of Authors (ASA). Deveson told the Round Table On Intellectual Property Issues at the Scholarly Communications Forum in Sydney that electronic copyright could and should exist independently of authors’ printed works. According to an ASA report tabled at the conference: “Rapidly changing technology makes it essential that authors are not locked into agreements based on technologies that are superceded.” The ASA report addresses the main issues arising for authors entering the world of digital publishing, giving them understanding about their rights when it comes to electronic works.


PM announces NISO membership

The membership of the federal government’s National Information Services Council (NISC)

has been announced. Recommended by the final report of the Broadband Services Expert Group (BSEG), the Council will be chaired by Prime Minister Paul Keating, and will advise the government on policy implications of the information superhighway.

Luminaries on the council include, among others, Professor David Beanland, vice chancellor RMIT; Lyndsay Cattermole, MD of Aspect Computing; Col Cooper, national


he press rounded sharply on itself as Messrs Fist, Ebbs and Philipson used their columns in The Australian to pour scorn on the media’s treatment of Bill Gates, cyberporn, mainframes and technology.

o section of the media is spared in Fist’s June 27 commentary on the treachery of Microsoft-bashing. “Like most people, I am concerned about the way Gates’ company is becoming so dominant in computing (and now communications), but I defend him because the public attacks are largely misdirected,” he writes. According to Fist, Gates is doing nothing more than fulfilling the American Dream. “Reporters can’t seem to come to grips with the fact that Gates’ success represents the pinnacle achievement of the economic ideology they’ve spent the past few decades promoting,” he says.

he finger of blame should be directed at government, says Fist, because it has failed to address the problem of vertical integration in the software market. Microsoft has merely done the competitive thing and hustled its way to the top in an unregulated environment. “We’ve allowed it (Microsoft) to own the operating system and many horizontal applications; now the Australian Government is actively encouraging it to take a dominant position in networking and information provision,” warns Fist.

n the July I I issue of The Australian, Fist takes on television over its trivial treatment of science and technology. “What is it about any story on science and technology that causes TV reporters’, editors’ and newsreaders’ brains to switch off?” he asks, and observes that while serious economic and political stories on television are presented by acknowledged experts, “when it comes to technology, we get a wide-eyed dolly bird with the ‘Please explain it to me slowly, I’m just an ignorant bimbo’ approach.” Fist sends a scorching message to the ABC with his analysis, nominating the “technophobes” heading up the national broadcaster as the culprits. “Most producers at the ABC did fine arts at Adelaide University because they didn’t have the IQ to get into sociology,” says Fist.

omething must have been in the water at News Limited, because Geoff Ebbs and Graeme Philipson also penned controversial offerings in their I I July

Australian columns. Ebbs took to cybersmut hysteria, dealing out a dose of common sense to researchers and reporters eager to jump on the Internet porn-panic bandwagon.

his shady world of the serious sicko is what fascinates the most serious of researchers,” Ebbs writes, and asks, “Why look at it? Why elevate the activities of a few deviants to the status of bogey man?” While acknowledging that there

is quite an interest in “soft” porn on the Net - “The Penthouse and Playboy pages are accessed by an average of 900,000 people a day” - Ebbs says the broadcasting of pornographic images is much more suited to pay TV environments. “Pornography on the Internet is real, but its dangers are largely imagined,” he concludes.

eanwhile, Philipson took the computer press to task over its scant coverage of mainframe software companies and their activities. Computer journalists, says Philipson, are either too young to know any better, having grown up with PCs, or are under the misapprehension that the mainframe world is in decline. Philipson goes on to chart the robust health of the industry, decrying the lack of press interest in the CA-Legent merger and the fortunes of software companies such as Sterling, CompuWare, Candle and SDI, which are all busily gobbling up smaller companies with equal voracity to their flashier desktop cousins.

- Dorothy Kennedy

august ninety five

9

president of the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union;Alison Crook, chief executive of the NSW Dept of State Development; Doug Elix, MD of IBM Australia; Betty Hounslow, director of the Australian Council of Social Services; Brian Johns, MD of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; Michael Lynch, GM of the Australia Council; Sean O’Halloran, director of network development at Channel Seven; Alan Petts, interconnect manager at Optus Communications; Judith Slayter, business development manager at Telstra Multimedia; Ron Spithill,MD of Alcatel; Dr Ockert Van Zyl, GM, telecommunications and manufacturing at Siemens.


Pure and simple speech

Compaq boss Eckhard Pfeiffer says he wants fully integrated

voice recognition technology to be incorporated in Compaq PCs by 1999. To this end, the company will work with PureSpeech Inc.


CA stalled on Legent merger

Computer Associates’ proposed acquisition of Legent is the

subject of an anititrust investigation by the US Department of Justice. Neither CA nor the Justice Department are commenting on details of the probe, but CA has confirmed that Justice made a second request for additional documents on 16 June. Experts say that the request indicates that the merger had turned into a full-blown investigation.

Antitrust concerns centre around a possible overlap between Legent’s and CA’s software products in the VSE operating system market.


SystemsIntegration Panel disintegrates

After much speculation the death knell has sounded for the

federal government’s systems


integration panel. “By the end of 1995 all federal government departments and agencies will select their IT services from a new common use contract instead of the current Restricted Systems Integration Panel,” said a statement issued by Finance minister Kim Beazley’s office.

Under SI Panel terms, systems integration deals valued at more than $5 million had to be awarded to vendors on the panel.

Computerworld Today, 30 June

Big bosses for US IT

The US government is to follow the lead of Canada and Australia by appointing a CIO to

oversee the country’s multibillion dollar IT strategy. In fact, the government will appoint separate CIO’s for large individual agencies. Reed Phillips, former director of information resource management (IRM) at the US Department of Commerce, is worried that a national CIO would not be a strong advocate of the federal IRM community. “If it’s just going to be a figurehead political appointee, then not much will be accomplished,” Phillips says.


Social safety net goes online

Social Security Minister Peter Baldwin has launched the Community Information Network

(CIN). The two year, $5.6 million pilot is designed to bridge the gap between the information rich and the information poor, and will make available a censored version of the Internet at 300 local access points in South Australia, Queensland, Tasmania and the ACT.

“In a world where access to information is rapidly becoming a social and economic necessity, it is important to ensure all Australians have the protection of an information safety net,” Baldwin said at the launch. Cabinet will consider an extension of the pilot network this month, and

expressions of interest for the development of a national network will appear in the press shortly.

The Australian, 4 July

AME gets legs

Lawyer Martin Cooper has been named chief executive officer of the Australian Multimedia

Enterprise (AME). Federal Minister for Communications and the Arts, Michael Lee, announced the appointment at the national conference of the Australasian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association (AIMIA) in Adelaide.

Cooper’s role will be to guide the AME board through the development of its strategies over the next four years. AME has been given $45 million by the federal government to coordinate investment in multimedia products and services.


Voice recognition gets human

Emotion has come to voice synthesis in the form of multi

voiced, text-to-speech software from US based Eloquent Technology. The Eloquence software contains models of vocal-tract physiology and users can make their own inflections in voices, and choose from male, female and child voices.

Eloquence is in final beta testing stage. “We do still sound a bit more robotic compared to a human speaker,” says Eloquent’s Mandi Snyder. “But compared to what’s out there, we sound much more human.”


The right number’s up

Public acceptance of the extra digits introduced into telephone numbers in Melbourne and other

parts of Australia has convinced Austel to bring forward the nationwide completion date for the scheme by a year. Eight digit local numbers and two digit area codes will be the norm across the country by November 1988.

Computer Daily News, 4 July

august ninety five

10

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The ListAustralasia’s Leading Corporate IT Management Magazine

MIS100Winter 1995 a$14.95 NZ$19.95 (inc GST) A Strategic Publication SPECIAL BONUS ISSUE

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Crucial to the success of any business is an awareness of what other people are doing, particularly IT organisations at the leading edge of IT.

DON’T WASTE A MOMENT. There are only limited copies on the news stands, so get down and buy yours today.


ISSC says “touch me”

The Integrated SystemsSolutions Corporation (ISSC),

an IBM joint venture with Lend Lease Corp, has won a contract with the federal government to supply the touch screen technology for its job seeker project. Over the course of four years, ISSC will install an estimated 2000 touchscreen systems at 320 CES offices. The deal is said to be worth $50 million. ISSC’s successful tender puts it in a good position to win next year’s proposed $50 million upgrade of CES’s internal network.


Neo-Nazis camp on the Net

An electronic fortress for neo-Nazi groups has been formed on the Internet — and authorities are

virtually powerless to stop it, says one of Germany’s leading investigators of the extreme right. According to the expert, who declined to be named: “When someone disappears into one of these bulletin boards where the information is encoded, the authorities might as well call it quits.”

Encryption software called Pretty Good Privacy is used to keep the prying eyes of non-members from sensitive e-mail, ranging from anti- Semitic and racist slander to statements claiming the Holocaust

was a hoax. Hundreds of Germany’s estimated 50,000 neo-Nazis are going online in a backlash against a government they feel is “bent on curbing civil liberties.” However, Berlin academic, Professor Hajo Funke says, “Those who use this kind of sophisticated technology are the real war-makers, the real violence producers.”


The roaring tigers of Asian IT

Datapro Information Services says the Asian corporate IT market will be worth in excess of

$US2 billion this year and near $US3.5 billion by 1988. The McGraw-Hill subsidiary analysed

A few short months ago Osborne Computer boss John Linton announced big plans to make the company Australia's largest PC maker;

now an administrator has been called in by the company's directors. The company, which IDC says last year sold some 86,000 desktop PCs (more

than Apple and Compaq), fell victim to an acute cash crisis.

The demise of Osborne, if a salvage strategy cannot be negotiated, promises to have profound impact on the Australian PC industry. NSW Consumer Affairs Minister Faye Lo Po said her department had received in excess of 60 consumer complaints against Osborne over the course of the preceding fortnight, in most instances motivated by the non-delivery of computer equipment already paid for.


One of the cruellest results of Osborne Computer's troubles is the group of customers out of pocket after pre-paying for PCs

which were never delivered. There are stories of people turning up at Osborne's offices to pick up equipment who are being escorted from the premises.

Meanwhile, Micronics Computers, US supplier of motherboards to Osborne Computer, has announced that it has ceased shipments of product, and is working with Osborne to resolve its liquidity problems. Micronics will probably suffer some financial woe as a result of Osborne's recent problems. Chairman Steve Kitrosser says he expected to post poor sales results for the

quarter, after what was expected to be a record quarter.

One theory about Osborne's demise suggests the company was chasing market share at the expense of watching the bottom line. Osborne always preferred to class itself as a manufacturer, but was really a distributor for Asian and US manufacturers, and used multiple suppliers to cut costs, sacrificing reliability and warranty support along the way.

Computerworld, 7 July

Digital was quick off the mark with a plan to capitalise on holes in the market opened up by Osborne Computer's current difficulties. Ralph

Stadus, director of Digital's PC unit in Sydney, said his company would expand its local

reconfiguration centre to full operation. "We assemble the product in Taiwan. Then we bring it into Australia and reconfigure it at our plant," he said.

"We won't actually produce motherboards in Australia, but we will assemble the complete PC from all its raw components which is effectively the same thing that Osborne and the other Australian PC manufacturers do," he added.

DEC hopes to produce between 70,000 and 80,000 units next year at a new plant in Sydney. The existing integration centre employs 30 people. The assembly plant will increase that number to 50. DEC sold some 53,000 PCs last financial year in Australia.


august ninety five

13

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eight Asia-Pacific countries, not including Japan. South Korea and Taiwan account for two thirds of the market; Singapore’s share of 5.2 per cent is high considering its small population, but is not expected to grow.


HSM — good for big boys only

The LAN is under siege from hierarchical storage management systems (HSMs), which

are being pushed as the answer to information management needs in mainframe environments. Its value is that it optimises the use of hard drives by storing only the most frequently used data there. Less expensive storage media are used for less critical data.

However, analysts warn that HSM may not be the panacea it seems, and say it meets the information management needs of a narrow group of industries. Dennis Edwards, senior vice president at HSM software maker HIARC, says HSM is useful only to networks with over 20 gigabytes of hard disk space.


IT experts bring home the baconA survey published in the l \ Australian Information Industry Association (AHA) newsletter indicates that IT salaries are rising at a faster rate than the Consumer Price Index. “With the industry seeing widespread growth in most sectors after some tough years, new salary market pressures have emerged. The trend, when viewed with a skills shortage in many technical and strategic areas, is resulting in an uncertain future for remuneration policy,” says the All A.


Testing times for Oracle and nCube

Telstra is conducting trials to help determine the technology needed to run interactive TV and

video on demand in Australia, and has reportedly ordered Oracle

Media Server software and a multiprocessor platform from nCube Corp, giving the companies inside running for the final deal. Supplied through NEC Australia, the order is allegedly worth over $1 million, and will be installed at Telstra’s Melbourne research laboratories. Officials declined to comment on the order.


EDS contract falters - again

Uncertainty surrounds the South Australian government’s

proposed $700 million outsourcing contract with Electronic Data Services. Although the deal was to be finalised last March, it has been delayed several times. The government missed its latest signing deadline on 30 June.

SA treasurer Stephen Baker told a parliamentary Estimates Committee that around $4 million had already been spent on the EDS negotiations. The continued delays have led to industry speculation that the

multinational service company has threatened to abandon the deal. Meanwhile, Lexmark International has closed its doors in Adelaide, reportedly because of the lack of business generated by the EDS uncertainty.


SA jumps the multimedia gun

A state government funded “multimedia precinct” has

been set up in Adelaide, jumping the gun on a proposed federal multimedia initiative. The Cooperative Multimedia Centre (CMC) is part of a three-year, $4.5 million state government initiative, aimed at providing a site for companies involved in design, development and marketing of interactive software. Announcing the project at the AIMIA (Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association) national conference in Adelaide, SA Premier Dean Brown said the precinct would provide a place for small,

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medium and larger companies to become involved in multimedia collaboration, uniting creative, artistic and technical skills.


This is the multimedia news

The BBC will commence installation of the world’s largest multimedia network next

year. Computer and television equipment companies have been invited to tender for the contract to revamp the way news is produced. The $60 million project will mean extensive archives of online text, radio, and television news will be available to some 9000 BBC journalists around the world.

New Scientist, 8 July

Don’t Carr how long it takes

Eagerly anticipated news of the NSW Labor government’s policy on IT outsourcing and

purchasing won’t be forthcoming until September. “The review is still taking place. The industry will just have to wait until the strategy is developed,” says Andrew Woodward, press officer for the minister in charge of the new administration’s IT policy,Michael Knight.


Multimedia now Kelly country

Documentary maker Gabrielle Kelly has been appointed executive producer of Show-Ads

Interactive, an Adelaide based production house which develops multimedia products. One of Kelly’s chief roles will be the development of broadband content for the Australian pay TV industry. Kelly worked in children’s television for 10 years, spent three years as a director of the Australian Film Finance Corp, and then two years at the South Australian Film Corp, before venturing into full-time documentary making.


All bets are online

That much loved leisure activity of Australians, betting, is about to be revolutionised by pay TV and

the Internet. By mid 1996 Australians will be able to place bets with the TAB while watching horse, dog and harness races at home; a Broadband Services Expert Group report estimates that home gambling and betting will be worth more than $36 billion a year by 2009.

Not everyone is excited by the prospects. There is little regulation and few standards in place to control the burgeoning industry. Currently the scene is marked by offshore online casino game operators based in countries where consumer protection laws are weak or non-existent.

The Bulletin, 11 July

Demand for IT skills still sluggish

A general slowing of theeconnomy is being blamed for a

decrease in the number of computer related job vacancies for the fifth successive month. A recent Skilled Vacancy Survey (SVS), carried out by the Department of Employment, Education and Training (DEET), shows that the demand for computing professionals peaked in January, and the number of vacancies has been falling by about four per cent a month since March. Decreases in 15 out of 16 occupational groups were apparent, although the DEET bulletin warns care should be taken in interpreting month to month movements, as short-term movements cannot be assumed to indicate trend changes.


At a press event on

23 June, Sybase bossQuoteo f flesh tacticsnote: Gary Jackson promised to

“stand naked in Pitt Street if

Sybase gets bought in the next 60 days.”

The daring pledge was aimed at stemming speculation

that Sybase is ripe for takeover. On one unhappy day in

April more than 32 million Sybase shares changed hands,

stocks plunging from $US39 to $US23 (they’re currently

trading around the $US32 mark). Said Jackson of one of

the nominated buyers: “Sun couldn’t afford us, even if they

were interested.” The deadline is nigh.

august ninety five

16


Internet (to go’

Hutchison Telecommunications has launched E-Mail Alert in Sydney. The personal messaging

system for the Internet is part of the company’s drive into the online service provider market.

Hutchison’s managing director Barry Roberts-Thomson, says the service will connect incoming Internet e-mail to personal pagers and some mobile phones. It allows the first 160 characters of a message to be forwarded. Roberts- Thomson said customers will be billed via one account for all paging, mobile phone and Internet services.


Roboticmachinations

he Australian Robot Association has produced a

discussion paper calling for the development of an automation policy for Australia. The paper attempts to focus public attention

on the benefits of such a policy, and to counter a lingering community fear that automation will do more harm than good to society. Australian Robot Association treasurer Anthony Gascoigne believes that Australia needs to develop an “automation culture” if it is to retain its standard of living.

Copies of the paper, called An Automation Policy for Australia, can be obtained from the ARA for $20.


Switching off violence

US President Bill Clinton has endorsed a plan to install

computer chips in television sets so that paresnts can screen what their children watch. Addressing a conference in Nashville on families and the media, Clinton said: “This is not censorship, this is parental responsibility. I see no alternative to solving this problem than to reduce the aggregate amount of violence to which these children are subject.”


Showbiz suckers must wise up

Technophobia is rife in theAustralian music industry says

Phil Tripp, covenor of the second annual National Entertainment Industry Conference. Tripp says the music industry is in danger of “being gobbled up by the entertainment software industry.” The conference — sponsored by Apple Computer — is designed to provide industry members with knowledge, so that when confronted with technology,“they’re not technically incompetent or technologically impotent”. Guest speakers include Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow.

“Many people in the music industry who are in line to deal with technology have not used it in a physical sense,” Tripp says.

“It’s a little like sex at a bar. There’s a lot of people talking about it but not many people are getting it.”


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informationage cover story

Virtualsorority

What’s a nice girl like Dale Spender doing in a place like cyberspace? Adam Lincoln found her mustering the forces,

mauling the mysoginists and having a whole lot of fun.

First there was feminism, then the backlash against feminism, then the backlash

against the backlash. We’ve had old guard feminist Germaine Greer bickering with the new wave “lipstick feminists” on 60 Minutes, and white, middle aged men escaping to the forests, insisting it is they who are truly oppressed. Now, as if the real world battle of the sexes wasn’t confusing enough, it’s entered cyberspace as well. Women are slowly getting on to the Net, and there are men who don’t

like it.In the thick of the action is Dale

Spender, possibly Australia’s best known feminist writer after Greer,

declaring in print her love for the ultimate boy’s toy: “I love my computer.” The

author or editor of some 30 books, Spender proudly describes herself as a convert to the

wonders of IT, and she wants other women to feel the same. Did the high profile “lit crit” ever

imagine she would author a book called Nattering on the Net: W7omen, Power and Cyberspace? Not on

your life. But women, she says, must get involved “for the wealth, the power — and the pleasure of it all.”

Spender may be enamoured of IT, but she’s less than happy that 94 per cent of Internet users are men, according to a study conducted by Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA. Just as bad, women are being left out of most of the important decision making. The point is, the boys have had unchallenged control of these important toys for long enough: “Women must be full participants in shaping the system and the rules, and be involved in the cybercommunity in the same numbers and on the same terms as men.

“Women know about the dangers of going into places where they’re not wanted,” she says. “They’ve spent their lives being socialised to not be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong dress, and what they find in cyberspace is all these men saying ‘keep out’. They have to be very determined to continue to go in.”

The last thing Spender wants people to think is that she is galavanting around the countryside, crying foul at the

absence of women in computing.“I am very careful not to undermine the work of women

in information technology. There are ways that they have been much bigger and better pioneers than I’ve ever been, and I pay testimony to their achievements. I never ever say: ‘there aren’t any women working in IT.’ I will say there aren’t any women moguls.”

She is easily misrepresented. “There was a nasty piece in The Australian after I spoke at the National Press Club. The journalist — a man — interviewed a woman who said: ‘of course there are women in IT,I’ve been in it for years. Women are as good as men — what does she mean women aren’t any good at it?’ I’ve never said women aren’t any good at IT. What I said is that women are being debarred in lots of ways, and we can’t continue to have this.

“It’s a bit like women were in publishing 20 years ago. There were a lot of women in publishing, it’s just that they weren’t like Bill Gates, and they didn’t make the big decisions, and they still don’t in the electronic arena.”

august ninety five

18

“I’ve never said women aren’t any good at IT. What I’ve said is that

women are being debarred in lots of ways, and we can’t continue to

have this”


«| Intp saying ts ta tet if mtn, Iff I sms lm chsrys st

machines you Mko Hum*

Dale Spender has embraced IT because she felt she had no choice. Sticking her head in the sand

would have meant risking the undoing of her life’s work. But the journey, professionally and personally, has not been easy.

She spent the 1970s setting up women’s publishing houses, women’s presses, and women’s bookshops.She was the founding editor of Pandora Press, and integral to the Women’s Studies International Forum. The aim was simple: getting women’s voices heard.

“Just when I thought that we’d made it, and even mainstream publishers were publishing feminism, publishing women, after 500 years of print, suddenly print’s not where it’s at any more. In fact one of the reasons women have done so well in print is because men don’t want it any more. It’s not contested in the same way. And so what are you going to do? Are you going to have women’s knowledge at risk once more, or do you make the transition?”

Spender came to this realisation in the late 1980s. “It’s been very hard,” she says. “All my life I read and I wrote, that was all I did — I didn’t have kids, I didn’t cook, I didn’t clean the house. I’ve had to trade expertise and the known for the unknown. It was deskilling; it meant an identity crisis.

“The book doesn’t really indicate the pain on the way. I don’t emphasize it because I want a lot of other women to make the same journey. I try to emphasize the joys when you get there.”

But it’s a tale of frustration, whichever way you look at it.

“What’s difficult for me to manage is that after 500 years of education campaigns, the last three years is the first time that women have done better than men in education. And just as they blooming well get there, the goal posts shift. Now everything is going to be computer based, and every teacher — feminist, non-feminist,

sWS

black, white or brindle — is basically convinced that women aren’t as good with machines as men are.

“But women’s often difficult history with machines says a lot more about the machines than about the women.I keep saying to a lot of men, ‘look, if I was in charge of machines you wouldn’t like them’.

“Women are socialised with machines to think that they’ll either be bitten or they’ll break them. Yet it takes 10 minutes to talk them out of that. One of the things I find fascinating is that if you put kids in a room — girls and boys — and you put a machine of some sort in, almost without exception the boys go over and play with it, to see how it works, and the girls want to know how it works before they’ll go and play with it.

“But once you tell the girls how it works, and once you tell women it won’t bite, they’re sold on it.”

Spender uses “nattering” in the title of her book to draw allusions to the telephone. “I’m saying: ‘We can take over this like we took over the telephone.’ Initially, women were not perceived to be any good with the telephone. Look what happened!”

I first came across Dale Spender in 1991, when I was in the final year of a communications degree at the

University of Technology, Sydney. It was one of those courses where the women are mostly feminists in their own different ways, and the men were outnumbered by three to one.

Spender was a guest lecturer in a subject called “Information Technology”. She came, in all her trademark purple glory — purple clothes, earrings, pens, notepad — because “nice girls don’t wear purple”.

It wasn’t long after she had ‘discovered IT’, and she had recently embarked on a project called WIRED (pronounced wicked), for Women’s International Knowledge Encyclopedia and Data, the first women’s electronic database, for women, about women. Several years on the project is nearing fruition.

WIRED meant starting from square one, and learning from mistakes. Summarising the hurdles, Spender says: “Dealing with techie heads was very difficult. I’ve being greeted with ridicule in lots of places. I kept saying to myself: ‘No typesetter ever told me what I could put in a book and you’re not going to tell me what I can put in a database.’

“There was no model for us to work with — there was no precedent for the contract. My sister, Lynne Spender, who’s executive director of the Australian Society of Authors, drew up a contract for me. She called me the originator — the originator of the concept of the database.

“I’ve had a lot of support from a lot of women,” says Spender. “It was a bit like starting feminism all over again. But there were not a lot of women in positions of influence who could help. The only woman who I could ring up and say: ‘How do I do this, what are the priorities?’ was Phyllis Hall in the USA. She was the vice president of Pergamon Press and then became publishing director of the IEEE, so she knows everything about electronic publishing.”

august ninety five

20

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The project is just about complete — it’s got 500 contributors, and $2 million invested in it, but delivery remains a vexing question. “Since we started out, notions of delivery have changed immensely. Do we do CD- ROMs, or floppy disks? Do we do a deal with a big vendor and give it away to start with? How do we update it? How can women in the Philippines or South America access it?”

Apart from WIRED and now Nattering on the Net, Spender’s other big IT related project has been WITS: Women, Information Technology and Scholarship.

“WITS started when the University of Illinois became a paperless university. Overnight, if you couldn’t log on you couldn’t be part of the university — all university business was online, all networked,” Spender says. “There were women who had had computers sitting on their desks for two years who had never turned them on. We could see they were being excluded from the life of the university. ”

Spender has spent months of each year working on WITS within the Centre for Advanced Studies at the University of Illinois. She says it has been very successful.

“There are now links from the arts and graphics departments, to the National Supercomputing Centre, to the library, to the education department. All these women who otherwise would not have known about each other are networking. ”

With her two co-founders, she has recently passed WITS on to another group of women. It has been adopted as a model by universities across the USA, and Spender would like to see the model adopted in Australia as well.

“We’ve looked at some very basic but important issues that Australia hasn’t properly looked at. For example, what are we going to have to teach in the universities in the year 2000, that we don’t even know about at the moment? You almost have to look at it in a science fiction way.

Australia isn’t doing that, yet everyone says our future is about being the clever country, about selling our intellectual property. ”

Despite her profile, Spender does not serve on any of the government IT advisory committees.

Although she holds an honorary research position at the University of Queensland, she says she is not seen as being institutionally based, and so not invited to take part. The irony is that she’s in demand in the USA.

Nevertheless, Carmen Lawrence will launch her book on 23 August, and a national summit on women and computers is slated for that afternoon. Experts from around Australia will discuss a national policy for women and computers.

Spender believes the discussion must include education. Indeed education, from primary through to tertiary, is the constant strain of her arguments. She talks of a window of opportunity to “reprogram the human condition” — a window that is gradually closing.

“Education could change like that,” she says, snapping her fingers. “There are enough women in education who could turn around and say ‘we’re just not having this’. At MLC in Melbourne, every girl has a laptop. When men say to me ‘but girls can’t do computing, they’re just not as good at it’, I point not just at one girl but at a whole school of them. These girls are never going to put up with the notion that girls can’t do it. ”

An imperative is teacher training — and Spender says the resistance is enormous.

“I’ve stood up all over the world and talked about feminism and dealt with some very nasty men. It pales into insignificance compared alongside the treatment I’ve had from some teachers, who shake with anger and tell me I’m ruining civilisation.

“I tell them it’s not about turning on a computer, it’s about using a computer as a teaching resource, in

the same way that they use a textbook. People have just about threatened to kill me. It’s endemic across our schools.”

Spender persists because she believes the goal is worth the effort.

“Computers ultimately might be the tool that gives girls and boys in the classroom equal teacher attention. Why would teachers have to spend more time with a boy than a girl when they’re using e-mail? Girls don’t get as much attention when boys are there physically crowding them out.”

Spender says that universities, which should know better, often aren’t much better. In her book male

students, technical support staff, and even academics, cop a serve courtesy of case studies of sexual harassment.

“If I actually described some of the things I know, everybody would be able to name the person, and I could end up having the book pulped because of defamation. I’ve used work that is already in the public domain, so I figure I am reasonably safe. But I am defaming those men. They’re appalling.

“It is the worst and vilest form of harassment and intimidation. It’s terrorism — and it’s condoned by many professors around the country. I hope publishing some of those things will help to change it. I think most people would be pretty shocked to find that’s the daily tenor of many computing science environments.”

A problem is claims of harassment are often not taken seriously. Spender gives the example of a man who went online using his wife’s name, and received offensive messages. He complained to his university, and the culprits were reprimanded - even though his wife’s previous complaints had fallen on deaf ears.

Spender uses computer games as a microcosm for the wider problem: when it comes to women

and technology, too many men are missing the point.

august ninety five

22


“I’ve just returned from the AIMIA (Australian Interactive Multimedia Industry Association) conference in Adelaide, where a demonstration of Journeyman II was given.

“Someone must have spent weeks putting the demo together. It was everything that is whizzbang, but even while I was admiring the brilliance of it all, I was thinking: ‘I don’t know a single woman who would ever play this game. Women don’t fantasize about long winding corridors, or drawbridges that break, or grappling hooks for scaling the side of a besieged castle.

“No people, no relationships, nothing in it to attract women. Here they’ve spent millions, and they’ve missed half the market. ”

Of course, one market that has not been ignored is cyberporn. Spender seems, initially at least, a little resigned.

“People are saying technology will be lust driven and men will upgrade their modems to access the latest in porn ware,” she muses. “I’m a bit ambivalent about it. I know that when I go into the newsagent that if I don’t go down a certain aisle I won’t have to look at it. But I drive my newsagent mad because I do go down that aisle and turn all the magazines over and say ‘it’s a load of crap and it shouldn’t be allowed’.

Warming to the subject, Spender ventures: “We need major public forums that look into the consequences, the real consequences, of cyberporn. What are the consequences of the sex tools that are available online: any form of sex that you want, chop off any bit that you want. It’s an absolutely overriding question: what satisfaction does it give men?

“I put a lot of emphasis on these questions because I basically think you can’t regulate it. But I do think we have to develop some mechanism to prevent underage people from accessing this stuff. You can’t stop it entirely, but you can make it illegitimate for kids to access it.”

Spender says the uncertain legal status of cyberspace makes it difficult to frame laws for the control of pornography. But the issue is also being approached from the wrong perspective.

“Public safety should rule. Pornography isn’t free speech, it’s a product, and just as for any product that’s put on the market, the onus should be on the porn producers to establish that there is no damage to the public, no risk to public safety. And they couldn’t do that. At the moment the onus is on people like me to establish that it does do harm. I

don’t have to establish that a drug harms me; they have to establish that it won’t. It’s lousy logic to say that porn is free speech. It’s a product.”

So will men want to read Nattering on the Net?

“I think so. At the very least I think they’ll read some of the things on authorship, and on reading, and on the changes being faced by literature. My history at Sydney University was about reading books by men for men and taking from them things that were relevant to me. And I can assure most men that there’s a lot more in this book that’s relevant to them than my education at Sydney University was to me.

“I’m assuming that there is information relevant to men, but I’m directing the empowerment to women. I’m not going to back away from 94 per cent of Internet users being men and women can’t get on and it’s a bugger. But what are we going to do about it? And it’s up to men as much as women — in fact it’s more up to men in some ways. Men have worked out fair play for football, why can’t they work out fair play for the Internet? We can’t afford to leave women out. ”

Judging by some of the public discussion, there are men who would rather leave women out, thanks very much. There’s been an ongoing discourse played out on the letters page of The Australian’s weekly computer section in recent months, between men embittered by perceived cyber-femininazis trying to sabotage the Net, and women who are making their presence felt.

So is cyberspace a mysoginist environment?

“Totally! Uncompromisingly! One of the reasons I’ve put the letters in the book is that it’s better to let those men speak for themselves than for me to say that there are shits out there. Here they are. They’re shooting themselves in their own feet. I

“I don’t think these men are threatened that women will hijack the Internet. I think they’re threatened by the mere presence of women.

“The nearest analogy is men in the

Spender on robots, bimbos and BHP

How to control hundreds of beautiful girls

...with a robot!

“If they did that today they’d probably get so many objections, and not just from uppity women like me. I mean, I don’t have to do things like that any more. There are enough fathers around who say: ‘I don’t want my daughter portrayed as a bimbo like that, my daughter’s going to be the president of BHP, if not Australia.’

“And of course, fathers have always been interested in their daughters doing well — it used to be making a good marriage, not it’s having a good career.”

Advertisement published in Choosing a Computer, 1967.

august ninety five

23

Phot

ogra

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Ben B

aker

informationage

Sam Mostyn has been moving most of her life. At first it was

with her army father, who took his family travelling to new posts every two years. Now, as senior communications advisor to the Prime Minister, she is in one of the fastest moving policy batallions to march onto the Australian political landscape for many years. Mostyn’s role

Taking IT to the top

Sam Mostyn: believes that talent will rise - and women have a lot to offer.

involves co-ordinating the delivery of recommendations issuing from the PM’s Creative Nation statement and the Broadband Services Group (BSEG).

Specialising in communications law, Mostyn graduated from Australian National University in 1989. She went on to work for Michael Kirby at law firm Gilbert and Tobin in Sydney, and then Freehills in Melbourne. After that, it was back to Canberra as legal advisor to Senator Bob Collins in 1993 (“to get him through the Senate inquiry into pay TV”), then as communications advisor, telecommunications and broadcasting to Communications Minister Michael Lee. After a brief stint at Channel Seven in Sydney, Mostyn was headhunted last Christmas by Paul Keating. And oh yes, at some point she found time to do volunteer legal work for the Arts/Law Centre in Sydney,

where she helped young software developers with tricky intellectual property issues.

Mostyn’s choice of communications and intellectual property as legal specialties has been fortuitous, and the story behind the selection reveals both the male domination of more established areas of law, and the importance of female role models. “When I started in the law, women were still given makeup training,” she says. “As a woman lawyer, I had a choice of going into some straightforward litigation practices. Instead, I was working at Freehills and they had a great intellectual property group, where they had a female partner, IP was a nice combination of commercial practice and involved the kinds of property that aren’t normally dealt with, at a time when IP was on the ascendancy. It was fascinating.”

Mostyn is aware that the

boardroom. They don’t worry that if a woman joins the board they’ll lose power; what worries them is that if they get a woman on the board they can’t continue to behave the way they do at the moment. It’s about the male culture being modified, rather than the issue of power.”

Cyberspace should be an ideal place for women — relatively anonymous, no physical intimidation. But there is clearly a lot of antagonism. Are women buying into it?

“I think it goes both ways — buying into the antagonism and switching off,” Spender says. “But it’s not really about mature women like me. I’m 52 years of age, there are very few men in the world who are going to frighten me. It’s the 15 year old girls in school who need some forfn of protection and support.”

Spender must take care with her online activities — and for various reasons. On International Women’s Day last year she took part in an

international linkup, and nearly brought down the system at the University of Queensland.

“2000 pages of e-mail messages came in for me. My computer’s not big enough to take that amount of data, and I didn’t want to lose it so they’ve actually stored it for me. But when will I ever look at it?

“If I do go surfing I usually log on under a pseudonym. It’s not just about me being flooded with messages. I get letters in response to my articles in the Courier Mail and the Herald Sun — death threats even— and sometimes it’s actually quite important that I’m not locatable.”

While Spender enjoys interacting with the rest of the world from the peace and quiet of her Brisbane home— she frequently rises at 3 am when there is less online traffic — she doesn’t dwell on teleworking in her writing. “I don’t write about women and teleworking much, because I think that for every woman for whom

august ninety five

24

it’s liberating, there’s another woman for whom it’s just an extra burden — now she’ll have to work and look after the children at the same time.

“I think a lot of women would just love teleworking. A lot of it is about self presentation. There’s a huge amount of grooming that has to go into working in the office each day — much more so than there is for men.But I would think if you’ve got two little kids and you’re trying to telecommute it must be murder.”

f

Drawing on historical precedents,Spender says we cannot assume

that women will benefit from the *current information revolution — too many revolutions in the past have failed to deliver the promised riches.

For instance, she sees no short term strengthening in the role of women in mainstream politics as a result of some kind of virtual sorority. But, like all good evangelists, she is determined to be optimistic.

commercial face of communications and IT may spell disaster for women and other economically disadvantaged groups if not properly managed. “This government is all about not having a new division of wealth created in the information area,” she says.

The National Information Services Council, recently set up by Keating’s office, is a formal avenue of protection for these groups. The Council is a nongovernment body made up of a heady mix of high fliers from the arts, social services and IT industries. Meeting for the first time in Canberra on 10 August, the NISC will see working parties presenting papers on four areas — industry, access, legal and international.

An AdHoc Committee of Cabinet, chaired by Michael Lee, will coordinate Cabinet decisions which run across IT and communications policy. “It was designed to bring out of the Cabinet process the ministers

who have the most direct interest in these areas,” says Mostyn. “It’s not just Michael Lee and Peter Cook, it’s people like Simon Crean, Peter Baldwin and Carmen Lawrence,” she says, illustrating the growing number of departments affected by IT and communications policy decisions. A major statement will be made later this year or early next year.

Out in the real world, Mostyn sees promising signs for the

“There is a capacity of women to see a

bit wider”future of women in IT, and believes the next generation will not suffer from the gender divisions that currently splice the industry, especially at the top. “I think it’s changing. Young girls and boys are equally interested. I think inequality has come from the traditional bases of employment for men and women.

In the IT area, women interfaced with the screen to do work for other people.” She now sees a female perspective creeping into the use of technologies.

“There is a capacity of women to see a bit wider,” Mostyn ventures. She knows the statement could be taken the wrong way, but believes that women generally perceive more socially important issues, and will press the technology issue strongly in areas like education. Mostyn cites the example of a postgraduate course in interactive multimedia animation at the RMIT, where at least half of the group is female.

“I think more women will hang around the IT industries, particularly as they cross over with culture and education. I am a great believer that talent should rise, and women have a great opportunity here to excel.”

For Mostyn, the bad old days of makeup classes, demure dressing, and sensible pearls are over.

- Dorothy Kennedy

“Twenty years ago there were very few women in the paid workforce and now something like 78 per cent of women are in the paid workforce, compared to 84 per cent of men. If women can change that after so many years, then they can change other things fairly quickly too.

“At the moment, women generally aren’t aware of the significance of it all — it just looks like hot rod computing to them, toys for the boys. But women will understand that it’s important — and then there’s no knowing what will happen.”

Starting with the basics. Spender recommends to women that they set up computer clubs, just as they used to set up book clubs. Three or four women get together, and a young woman comes from a university once a week to show them how to get on the Net. “Young computer competent women in universities are a tremendous resource for other women. It’s a social occasion as

well. People think it’s wonderful,” she says.

“So on the one hand only six per cent of Internet users are women and it’s pessimism personified. On the other hand there are all these women who aren’t going to put up with it. There’s a tension there that can be quite healthy.”

Reflecting this interest, women’s networks, forums and bulletin boards are growing in numbers. Ironically, men don’t seem to want to leave online women alone: Spender cites one women’s forum where 74 per cent of postings are from men.

But even where men are concerned, all is not lost, it seems. “After I spoke at AIMIA, all these guys came up to me and said ‘that was important, that needed to be said’. The chief executive of the multifunction polis said to me ‘would you come and spend a couple of days with us, we need to hear this’,” Spender says.

august ninety five

25

“The culture can change. Women need to start shouting about it, and make it a public issue.

“The longer it goes on the more difficult it gets, and that’s one of the reasons I’ve done the book. I think there are enough women with enough power in other places to transfer it.”

So if Dale Spender could experience anything in a virtual sense, what would it be?

“I’d love to write a virtual novel, and create a series of characters and storylines and put them out there for people to make up their own stories.”

Deciding the answer is a little tame, she thinks a little more.

“I’d like to be in charge of a boys’ school.” Wicked giggle. “I think that would be quite good. What you’d make them learn! ” m

Nattering on the Net: Women, Power and Cyberspace is published by Spinifex Press, RRP $24.95.

information

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countries, particularly in Asia, are • on the edge of an epoch: will information technology bring untold ,.{ benefit, or further economic imperialism and cultural destruction? Grant Butler travelled to a conference in Indonesia where the potentials and pitfalls of IT were on the agenda.

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It’s easy to forget when you’re arguing the pros and cons of ATM or client/server over a Saturday arvo can of VB that almost

half the world’s population has never even made a telephone call, let alone lost sleep over the 32-bit PC operating system.

There exists an enormous technological gulf between the world’s richest and poorest societies. Tokyo today, for instance, has as many telephones as the whole of Africa, and developing countries account for under five per cent of global spending on information

technology (IT), even though they contain around 80 per cent of the world’s population. According to an OECD report

from 1989, the dissemination of advanced technologies to

developing countries has actually declined since the 1970s. This is seeing some of the least developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia effectively dropping out of the international technology circuit through lack of technology transfer and direct foreign investment.

Convergence in JakartaAgainst this backdrop, I attended a conference on Communications, Culture and Development in Jakarta from 22-24 June. The moot was organised by AMIC, the Asian Mass Communication Research and Information Centre, which is a nonprofit organisation based in Singapore.

The conference drew 190 participants, and 54 speakers and chairpersons from 27 countries. Even though it was an “Asian” conference, Australia was prominent with around 20 delegates, including 11 speakers, making it the most heavily represented nation after host country Indonesia.

I went along armed with a single question: “How could information technology be of benefit to the world’s poor, particularly those who could not afford computers or were illiterate?”

I spent the next four days getting various answers in conference sessions, corridors, lunch halls, taxis,

bars, and even a roadside nasi goreng stall where the guy next to me happened to work for the Department of Science and Technology! Almost everyone believed information technology, appropriately implemented, could be of great benefit to less developed countries (LDCs).

I asked Jonathan Parapak,Indonesia’s Secretary General, Department of Tourism, Posts and Telecommunications how IT might benefit the rural poor. His response was that “you don’t always have to use a technology to get the benefit out of it”.

He gave an example of a furniture maker in Sumatra, Indonesia’s largely undeveloped northern most island, whose business has increased dramatically as he can now receive orders by phone. This extra business should in turn help the entire village. In another example, the Indonesian University of Sulawesi can now access databases in Singapore and America. “We must think globally and act locally — the impact of the acceleration of information is beneficial,” said Parapak.

When asked about the costs/benefits of investing in information hardware Parapak replied that “the market will determine what, will be adopted. Things will come step by step. I hope that educational programs will prove most popular. ”

“It is only very recently that the cost of computing has declined to the point where it could be anything less than a plaything for the elite,” says Urban C Lehner, editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal. “The next 10-15 years will be the most important to watch — my guess is that IT will be of great benefit to developing societies. It will end the isolation and alert entrepreneurs to opportunities, and technological and business changes elsewhere.

For Virgilio Labrador, conference coordinator, AMIC, “There is a great opportunity for developing countries to jump the industrial age. They have

Informatics production (%)Industrialised countries 90 Developing countries 5

a large pool of talent in places like Malaysia, Thailand and India. Just look at Singapore 30 years ago and today.”

What the Bank saysAccording to a 1991 World Bank report, less developed countries suffer from an “information poverty” which takes many forms, including: planning without facts; poor information support for policy formation and implementation; inadequate financial control and monitoring systems; isolation from international data sources; low access to information on international markets; and highly limited access to information in rural areas.

The Bank believes many of these problems can be overcome by encouraging the establishment of telecommunication and data processing infrastructures in developing countries.

“How do you make the information highway relevant to rural communities where the majority of the world’s population lives?” asks Dr Royal Colle, a World Bank advisor and development communications academic from Cornell University,USA. “Today, the information highway begins and ends in the cities.”

Colle outlined his proposal for “information shops”, which he sees as particularly feasible for India. This idea brings together existing libraries, photocopying centres, video shops, telephone/fax centres, photographic labs, etc. that can sometimes be found tucked away in remote rural communities offering public and commercial services. National governments or aid agencies would add a computer, desktop publishing facilities, and ideally a CD-ROM and modem to these existing facilities. The “shop” would then run on a semicommercial basis, with subsidisation necessary to keep the centre operational.

Even though computers are a ) complex technology, requiring a very high level of literacy, Colle is confident some villagers could be trained in using the new technologies. This would allow remote

august ninety five

27

communities to receive information such as weather reports, agricultural research, current market prices for crops or supplies, and pertinent world events. Ideally in real time.

The presentation drew some sobering responses from experienced aid workers in the audience. One pointed out that the extreme climates in many developing nations and lack of skilled technicians means that a lot of IT equipment malfunctions quickly. She even quoted a figure which said nine out of 10 computers in China today don’t work. Another delegate suggested, from experience, that if you put something as valuable as a CD-ROM in a LDC village it would be stolen fairly abruptly.

Virgilio Labrador of AMIC also said that for the information shop idea to work you would need to train many people in the rural areas because those who can use the computer in the “shop” would probably leave for a job in the city. This tends to be a problem at a national level as well, as good engineers and scientists tend to leave less developed countries for jobs in the USA, Europe or richer quarters of Asia.

It is also worth keeping in mind that there is stunningly little money in the “third world”. The average child in Africa, for instance, receives less than $US1 per year in educational spending. And it’s a figure that is decreasing as military expenditures increase.

Appropriate technologiesThe view that information is beneficial to development comes under fire in Michael Menou’s 1993 book Measuring the Impact oflnformation Technology on Development. Menou believes that there is no systematic body of evidence supporting the view that information is a “critical resource” playing a fundamental role in development.

He believes that such a view rests on the shaky assumptions that access to information has no cost; that information is perfect; and that potential information users are capable of rational choices based upon cost-benefit analysis or similar logical processes.

The introduction of any new


Total expenditure for informatics and information technology all over the world (%)

North America ~40Western Europe 20-25Japan and newly industrialised countries of SE Asia 20-25

| Rest of the world <20 |

technology must, in the eyes of development experts, take into account the culture and needs of the recipient nation.

Gerald Frape, director of Dialogue Media, based in Sydney, says: “When it comes to development communication we’re talking low technologies — in China we gave

doctors simple flip charts to use when teaching their clients about AIDS, and even in Bangalore, India, which has its own high tech industries, we’ve found flip charts, folklore dramas and television, not computers, most useful in social development campaigns.

“I would hate to see people adopt a Luddite stance — I can see a laptop in a village being used for good things but what is important is that whatever technology is imported for development should be adapted to suit local needs and culture, and not for the benefit of those selling it.”

Singapore is often seen as a model for Asian development. According to Jeffrey Goh, consultant with Singapore’s National Computer Board, “IT enables new industries” and, in Singapore’s case, IT

IT policy in Asia

In 1993 the Asia Pacific region, including China and India, contained more than half the world’s population and only around one fifth of its telephone lines. Ninety per cent of the region’s population live in

lower income economies, with three countries accounting for 70 per cent of the wealth and more than 50 per cent of the phone lines.

However, of all the world’s developing regions, Asia is changing fastest. There is a conscious effort to expand information infrastructure at both the national level and at the level of the Asia Pacific Information Infrastructure (APII). The guiding principle is Al Gore’s notion of the “information highway”, and perceived benefits are expected to come in terms of greater economic productivity, and improved quality of life through services such as telemedicine, improved education, and enhanced public services.

Jonathan Parapak, Indonesia’s Secretary General, Department of Tourism, Posts and Telecommunications, presented five objectives contained in a May 1995 APEC Declaration issued in Seoul for developing the APII:

• Facilitating the construction and expansion of an interconnected and interoperable information infrastructure in the region;

• Encouraging technical cooperation among member economies in the development of the infrastructure;

• Promoting free and efficient flow of information;• Furthering the exchange and development of human resources;

Encouraging the creation of a policy and regulatory environment favourable to the development of the APII.

Parapak noted that “many concerns have been voiced by the governments of (Asia Pacific) about the issues of content, privacy, intellectual property rights and the continuing gap between the developed and developing nations”. He outlined policies designed to counter these problems by simultaneously promoting free trade and regional cooperation. Notably, Parapak is considered to be more pro-liberalisation than many policy makers in the region.

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investment has always paid off. A report produced in the late 1980s showed a return of S$2.71 for every dollar spent on IT by the “intelligent island”. However, Goh believes “the Singapore experience is unlikely to be repeated elsewhere — perhaps in some other small countries.”

Are there risks associated with investing in IT? “There are always companies that have invested at the wrong point,” says Goh. “Technology shouldn’t be seen as a panacea — computerising a lousy system just makes it a faster lousy system!”

Cultural threat?A major conference theme was the effect of new communication technologies on Asian cultures.

“Communications have been instrumental in creating modern culture — the culture of modernity, culture of development, and culture

The fight against electronic ghettos

Today real development cannot be dynamic without dynamic development of communication. The information revolution however has challenges and dangers not only in the cultural area. There is considerable danger that if special efforts are not

made, the ‘information revolution’ will increase the gap between developing and developed countries, generate new gaps between developing and developed countries, and generate new gaps within countries and societies, between those who have access to information and those who are denied this access, between the rich and the poor. High technology may, once again, outrun social justice.

- excerpt from the keynote speech of Henrikas Yushkiavitshus, Assistant Director General, Communication, Information and Informatics, UNESCO, information Age: What role does UNESCO play in development?Yushkiavitshus: UNESCO is concerned with ensuring the free flow of information. We have in place an international program for the development of communication, especially in developing countries. The main idea is to narrow the gap between developed and developing countries by creating an atmosphere and a spirit in which progress can be made.

Before now we were talking about the media, but withinformation highways,

access to information, databases, etc. there are new possibilities

for science, education and culture.IA: What are the

main trends in communications and

development?Y: What disturbs me is

that until now the main trend has

beentechnological. But,technology is a tool and not an

end in

itself. UNESCO is preparing a position on information highways, the main elements of which will be that there are not only highways but also subways, small tracks, villages without electric power, and so on.

Most dangerous will be if new technologies bypass some people; this will lead to isolation. We have to ensure we don’t create electronic ghettos. For instance, in Paris some televiewers look only at Russian programs, or in the US some only look at Spanish ones.

We must also ask what will be the role new technologies play in public service. Will the public get the same amount and quality of information it had before?IA: What role should governments play and what should be left to the free market?Y: I agree that the market economy has to lead the way, but market economy is a tool and not an end in itself. Governments have to play their role because culture and education always pay back in the long term. The best governments are those looking at the long term objectives.

If moral and cultural factors don’t moderate rough play of the market economy the culture becomes rough itself. The information market is becoming the most important market. There are many issues to be resolved such as intellectual property rights, cultural impact of broadcasting, ethical issues regarding access to information, privacy, etc. Today, we are on the edge of the most difficult legal, ethical and intellectual problems.IA: What about developing countries?Y: In developing countries you need to create possibilities for access. We don’t have to be arrogant and believe all knowledge is in the developed world. Sometimes people are more wise in the developing world — they have more time to think! We can get information back from the developing world.

If the governments (of the developed world) kept their promise of giving two per cent of revenue to the developing world most problems would be solved.

Henrikas Yushkiavitshus was born in 1935 in Lithuania. His early positions were with Lithuanian television and radio, and the International Radio and Television Organisation in Prague. From 1971-90 he was vice chairman of the USSR State Committee for Radio and Television. He is a strong advocate for maintaining free flows of information in the interest of countering totalitarianism.

august ninety five

30


World turnover of productive industries and activities directly linked to information technology 1000Evaluation of annual R&D work 50Evaluation of annual investments in new software 50

of globality,” says Joop Ave, Indonesia’s outspoken Minister of Tourism, Posts and Telecommunications.

Henrikas Yushkiavitshus of UNESCO argues that development is clearly linked to culture. “Economic growth cannot be the sole objective of humanity. Economic growth for what? For all to live wisely and agreeably and well? Or for more money in the hands of the few?”

He quoted Federico Mayor, Director General of UNESCO: “Beyond economic growth, which is an engine and not an end in itself, development is first and foremost social; it is also intimately linked to peace, human rights, democratic governance, environment, and last but not least, the culture and lifestyle of the people.”

“Information highway” was the buzzword of the conference and largely regarded to be synonymous with “the Internet”.

Issues of concern included privacy, protection of intellectual property rights, cultural pollution such as pornography, violence, and attacks on religion, and the entry of politically disruptive literature.

Jeffrey Goh recognises the potential for Asian nations to be flooded with western culture, and the risk of undesirable content. However, he feels that when it comes to the Internet, developing nations do not have to take a back seat to developed nations. He points to the number of “cultural servers” that have sprung up around the world designed to promote the cultural heritage of less developed nations.

For Graeme Osborne, associate professor, University of Canberra, “Economic, political, social and cultural ‘invasion’ is an almost inevitable consequence of the emergence of major new technologies. So, too, is economic, political, social and cultural change.”

Delegates appeared divided between two views on how to cope with these potential threats. Free marketeers poured oil on the ocean

by suggesting that such concerns belied a lack of confidence in the resiliency of Asian national cultures. The other view was that communication technologies are a powerful force for change, not always for the better, and that there were values in Asian culture such as humility, concern for social harmony, and respect for the elderly that should be protected.No solutions were presented as to how one achieves the latter while still allowing citizens to become full and active players in the global information system.

Indonesia may be setting a trend. For a nation usually associated with military repression and media control, Indonesia is surprisingly gung ho about jumping onto the “info highway”. It was an early adopter of satellite technology in the 1970s as it provided a means of linking the archipelago’s 13,700 islands. Today, the Internet access system is being restructured to reduce online time charges from around A$2.50 per minute to around six cents per minute. The Jakarta Post, an Indonesian daily newspaper, reports that Indonesia’s growing number of Internet subscribers currently number around 5000.

I asked Jeffrey Goh whether he thought Singapore might seek to control the Internet as it does other media. He replied, “I don’t think Singapore will clamp down on the Internet. Our leadership should be smart enough to realise that new activities will spring up around the Net, and that information

Industrialised nations 3-5 ?Developing countries <1 I

industries are important to them.”However, according to the

Jakarta Post, China, whose Internet users number around 2000, has announced it will limit local users’ access to the network. This comes after Hong Kong recently closed seven out of its Internet providers for not having licenses, and Singapore stated it would take legal action against cultural and political subversion in cyberspace.

Double-edged swordCommunication technologies can have powerful effects on social behaviour and culture. Asia’s debate about becoming an active component of the Global Information Infrastructure (GII) echoes previous debates about new technologies, such as radio.

Used appropriately radio can be a great tool for spreading information, and promoting national cohesion, community service, pop culture, and education. But, a chilling note of caution comes from a speech made by Henrikas Yushkiavitshus in 1994: “Even George Orwell could not foresee the shameful events in Rwanda in 1994, when uneducated people were manipulated by radio and hundreds and thousands of people were killed in a few weeks.”

To borrow A1 Gore’s imperfect analogy, there is a risk that cultural smog, congestion and electronic ghettos might make life with a hastily constructed and inequitable information highway about as pleasant as driving a car in downtpwn Bangkok, Jakarta or Los Angeles, ffi

Grant Butler is a freelance journalist specializing in communications and technology.

august ninety five

31

Sour

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IT in china

For much of 1994 there wasn’t any interesting work in Sydney but at the end of the year my agent called about an assignment in Shanghai, China. The deal was for two months, seven days a week, at least nine hours a day.Apart from the fact they liked my skills, my agent couldn’t tell me exactly what I would be doing. I tried to find some people who had knowledge of the place but as far as I could gather the “Paris of the East” was untouched by Australian (or Unisys) hands. The location was exotic and they promised to pay well. I decided my wife, daughter and I could use the money.

Within two days the deal was done. After many thousands of e-mails, departure date was set at 27 November.

The briefing was ominous. Unisys was contracted to develop and install a retail banking system plus ATMs within four months on a mainframe for the Shanghai Post Office. So far the company had been unable to install the client’s machine because of the inability to supply power to the site due to city wide power shortages. Fifteen people were working on a much smaller computer, with instructions to meet the initial deadlines. Not surprisingly, the project leaders were very nervous.

This is where it gets interesting. The customer accepted no responsibility for the problems. The Beijing leaders had authorised three suppliers in three different cities to write a system to be ready by 31 December. In order to ‘keep face’ the local Post Office management would accept nothing less than success. On top of this there were disk problems. It was into this inferno I stepped.

My first impression of Shanghai was of a grey and decaying city. However this city of 14 million people — in an area the size of Sydney — is also experiencing huge change as a result of joint ventures.

The streets are generally paved. There is running water in most places although many areas do not have toilets (a man comes on a bicycle with little bamboo night soil buckets to collect any waste). Sections of most blocks have been demolished, new developments taking their place. I heard of a construction company with more than 160,000 employees and this was not considered outrageously large. Building seemed to start at 5am and finish about 3am, and with no shortage of rural migrants to fill jobs, and no unions or any real safety standards to slow activity, buildings seemed to sprout up overnight.

I started work the night I arrived and did about 80 hours in my first week. Office hours were officially 9am to 11pm, so for my colleagues these hours were not unusual. Tien Xiao Feng, the on-site Unisys project leader, a five- foot product of the cultural revolution, seemed to work

25 hours a day — and wanted everyone else to too. She was a cheerful tyrant whose favourite saying was “customer force us”. Just in case she didn’t drive us hard enough Bao Li, the Post Office project leader, constantly hovered with his hands behind his back, harassing everyone. In fairness, there was a lot riding on this project for him: if he finished within the deadline he would be awarded a prize, and maybe a picture in the China Daily. Conversely managers have been jailed for doing a bad job.

But not all my workmates were as driven as Bao Li and Tien Xiao Feng. Pandang, who at first sight looked like the classic blue suit communist (and sure enough was a member of the party and staunch believer), had a heart of gold and was affectionately known as Mama. Later, when we got to know each other better, she summed up my personality with the expression “da hoi da”, which translates into “big bad egg”. Our daily greeting consisted of “ni hao (hello) da hoi da.”

The long hours continued for the next fortnight, but by 8 December there was still no sight of the real mainframe being installed. The ATM was not yet working, we were still encountering disk problems

and much of the time we were losing test data. It

was not really our fault that data was being lost, rather it was a

function of our working conditions, he entire office was about 500 square

feet, jam-packed with terminals, a mainframe and ATMs. Air conditioning consisted of a fan and leaving the cover off the back of machines. Not exactly an ideal computer environment.

The mainframe was finally installed on 22 December, although we still had not finished writing or testing

the system. Director Chen then informed us that in order to beat our rivals we would complete the system on 28 December, three days early. We protested that it was impossible — but it was arguing that proved impossible. On 27 December, after a long day, we were informed that because installation would take place the next day, everyone would work through the night. We had been working 18 hour days and were exhausted, but Tien Xiao Feng worked harder, pushed harder and smiled bigger than anyone. So we continued.

By this time the team had moved to the Bund to Jiujiang Lu Post Office, a very old, majestic building. The inside was dilapidated. Still, the computer room was nice, and although air conditioned to only 19 degrees Celsius, it was the warmest place to be. We did not have enough power to run the computer and have heating, so we didn’t have heating. Security was tight. After dinner at night we walked through huge iron gates resembling Colditz and were padlocked in. I hate to think what would have happened in the event of fire.

There were security guards almost everywhere, but the one at the gate was notable. One day I walked in alone and

august ninety five

32

information

he said: “Show me your pass!” When I did he proceeded to speak some of the best English I’d heard. He was a retired civil servant, not rich but extremely satisfied with his life. I liked him a lot and whenever he was on duty we would chat and he would teach me some of his language.

Time started to fly by fast. The computer system worked surprising well and the customer wanted to throw away its old system totally and go live with eight branches and 10 ATMs on 16 January, because the head civil servant was coming from Beijing to cut the ribbon. Once again the Post Office management got its way.

Chinese New Year was almost upon us and everyone wanted to take holidays. To accommodate my colleagues, my contract was extended. The system was now extremely stable and we only had to keep a 24 hour watch on it.

survivorowhere is the potential for IT greater than it is

in China, but results don’t come easily. £Big bad egg” Jo Walker recounts his experience

of IT project management, Shanghai style.

I was on the nightshift and although it meant an uncomfortable sleep in a deck chair, I had some time during the day to explore Shanghai.

At 5pm the city is unbelievable. The streets are filled with bicycles, people and cars. You not so much walk as get carried along with the traffic. Altercations happen all the time — usually a car bumping a bicycle. A crowd gathers, police appear and the arguments fly.

One day I was having a cup of coffee in a cafe and playing with a little yellow $2 battery operated dog I had bought for my daughter Chloe, when a small boy came to the window and stared intently at the toy. He was obviously from the country and very poor; the average wage for countryside workers is $50 per month. I gave him the dog. He was delighted and his mother was so grateful she bought him back to thank me. He clutched that little dog so hard, afraid I was going to take it from him.

Another time I was caught by a man with a monkey.The monkey did a couple of flips for me and I was then expected to pay. As happens whenever a foreigner buys something in Shanghai, a crowd gathered around to see

IT in china

how the matter would be resolved. I didn’t have any small change in Chinese terms so had to pay the man the princely sum of $1.50 for his trouble.

My contract in Shanghai was full of contrasts. The frustration and working conditions were a test of patience, as was the language barrier at times. But the amount achieved in such a short time was phenomenal.

The Chinese use the ultimate in top-down management: you will finish, no buts. Most of my colleagues had just completed university and this was their first real role, although their average age was 28. Their rate of pay was about $600-1000 a month. In the universities many computer people have part time jobs within Chinese companies developing software. I believe this is the major

v m

source of China’s burgeoning software export industry. The computer specialists are very quick to acquire skills, and are very hungry. The computer industry is already growing at 45 per cent a year — and this is only the start.

What the Chinese computer industry seems to lack most is project management experience. The foreign contractor’s role may change from one that is technically oriented to one of advice and negotiation. Your colleagues will have learned English from the second grade but their speaking skills will not be that great. Speaking Mandarin or even some Cantonese will help. I would gladly return, and am learning Mandarin in anticipation.

My advice to people considering working in China is to negotiate hard beforehand. Once there you will work like a slave, so make sure you are paid well! 2C

When not working in computing Jo Walker manages the Seido Karate School in Sydney. He has done a lot of consulting work with Unisys Line, a 4GL that works on Unisys mainframes and Unix systems. Overseas he has also worked in New Zealand and the USA.

august ninety five

ITWorld95 Brisbane September 23-27,

1995

Information Technology (IT) is a service business. Technology alone can do little unless it is appropriately applied to your information problems and opportunities, its value comes when it is used to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and competitiveness of your organisation, it is vital that senior executives, general managers and IT professionals all understand how to win with IT.

We are deluged with hype in areas such as multimedia, broadband technology, telecommunications, and "the information superhighway." !TWorld95 cuts through this hype to give a realistic assessment of the business, economic and social implications for the Asia Pacific region. We have invited two world experts, Mark Shearer from IBM Japan and Jim Ware from Unisys in the US, to give us a global perspective on national information infrastructure projects and the rethinking of work to maximise the value obtained from IT.

ITWorld95 is a showcase for Australian IT expertise. Australia has some of the world's best IT expertise, and we are delighted that many of our top IT thinkers and practitioners will be at the ITWorld95 Keynote Day on Monday September 25th 1995 to share their knowledge with you. Australia's most highly acclaimed speakers will present a pragmatic view of ways in which Australian organisations are winning with IT.

Michele Dolin from the Challenge Bank looks at what senior management should be demanding from IT, lan Reinecke examines directions in Public Sector IT, Rob Thomsett proposes a new IT management paradigm, John Smyrk offers a technique for measuring the business value of IT, and Graeme Simsion describes Business Process Rengineering (BPR) projects in Australia. Mike Vitale discusses practices that make a difference, Peter Weill examines the payoff from investment in IT infrastructure and Kevin Morris will ensure that we keep technology in perspective.

In addition to the Keynote Day there will be over twenty half, one or two day forums to choose from, depending on the specific areas you want to explore. There will be forums for Senior Executives, for MIS Managers, for IT Marketers and the Media, for IT Consultants and for Software Developers. Forum topics include Executive information Systems, BPR, Object Oriented techniques, Advanced Project Management, New Media and On-Line Commerce, Network Security, Electronic Commerce, IT Training and Education, and IT Futures. You can attend for just one day, or stay for all five days of ITWorld95.

ITWorld95 provides you with a comprehensive range of activities to develop a realistic understanding of how to harness new technologies and techniques and add value to your organisation. We encourage your participation in this inaugural Asia Pacific IT Congress.

Garry Trinder Neville RoachACS President AIIA Chairman

Australian Computer Society

AustralianInformation Industry

Association

Contact: ITWorld95 Secretariat Tel: 07-263-9711, Fax: 07- 263-7020

„ofiQ - wiping withirtomafionBrisbane September 23-27,

1995

vy

Keynote Day - September 25thSpend a day with some of the world’s most exciting and provocative speakers. Share their experiences,

have your views challenged, interact with your peers.

■ Mark Shearer"Global directions in information infrastructure

■ Jim Ware"Rethinking Work: new approaches to enterprise and workgroup effectiveness”

mm,

You can also attend one or more of the half-day, one-day and two-day forums that form ITWorld 95 from September 23-27. Whoever you are, whatever your interests, there are forums for you and your staff.

■ Michele Dolin"What senior management should be demanding of IT”

■ Graeme Simsion“If you mention American Airlines again I’ll scream - BPR in Australia”

■ John Smyrk"The computer project is dead, long live the business initiative"

■ Rob Thomsett"Fourth Wave Management: the new IT management paradigm”

■ Ian Reinecke"Public Sector Directions in IT”

■ Mike Vitale“Identifying and Implementing IS practices that make a difference"

■ Kevin Morris“If you want to hear a lion roar, go to the zoo”

■ Peter Weill“Does IT infrastructure pay off?"

informationage wired project

wired and

dangerous

In m? Australia's artistic youth will have their dayn in a very 21st «century kind of way- Dorothy Kennedy reports on what promises to be - if the technology behaves - a Very Cool Event-

Somewhere in the dark and treacherous corridors of government, in the tense moments preceding the 1993 federal election, an idea was born. Despite the terrifying circumstances of its birthing place, the idea

survived and prospered, ultimately finding its way into the safest creche of all — a prime ministerial policy statement. There, in the voluminous folds of Paul Keating’s Distinctly Australian address on the future of Australia’s cultural development, you will find it still, but now it is slowly finding a voice in the real world.

“Labor will commit $2.3 million over four years to bring together the finest young Australian artists for performances, masterclasses and other collaborations in a festival environment,” promised the PM two years ago, and as the shadow of the next election falls across the Australian political landscape, moves are afoot to bring the original idea to life. The Australia Foundation for Culture and the Humanities, an arm of the Australia Council for the Arts, is managing the project, and has injected an extra $400,000 into it. Most significantly, the Foundation has changed the youth festival concept into an ambitious interactive arts phenomenon called Wired.

Project manager Peter Matthews says that the impetus for the new approach came from the committee which was formed to oversee the execution of the festival. “We can’t do this in the conventional way of a festival,” was the consensus of the group, says Matthews. There was not enough money to conduct a national festival along traditional lines and the committee wanted to use technology to transport ideas, art and expertise to a media event, rather than bodies and collections to a particular location. “Engagement with the media will

become the art, not simply the process by which young people consume the arts,” proclaims the resulting Wired publicity.

The Wired committee, an eleven member group of artists and arts administrators, has carried the project until now. Their efforts are being funnelled into one bright day in early 1997, when young people will take over the media for a day in what has been dubbed the Very Cool Event (VCE). Although details are sketchy and the media event’s title is a bit “Carol Brady tries to talk like the kids”, some direction can be found in the Australia Council’s official objectives paper, which says the main purpose of the festival is to create new works of art and to publicise, promote and showcase the breadth and quality of Australian youth arts. The focus will be on young people aged between 12 and 25. Technology does not feature in the document, apart from a passing mention under the heading “Diversity and Access”, where its use is recommended for “distance-affected areas”.

the Wired committee, however, plans to placetechnology at the centre of the festival and in some

ways, the vagueness of the Prime Minister’s 1993 cultural policy statement provides this opportunity.

“It was so broad as to actually provide no structure at all,” says Sophie Cunningham, Wired committee member and a publisher with Allen and Unwin. “We started from scratch.” To Cunningham, the possibility of a cyberfestival is exciting, and despite a self-professed limited knowledge of the technological wherewithal needed, she sounds happy when describing the IT role: “Using technology to create the sense that you can have a national

august ninety five

36

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informationage wired project

*

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festival — you don’t have to have a geographic location.”

Already, the ultra-hip flavour of US magazine Wired has made its way into the festival’s name, publicity and presentation. Was it conscious?“No,” insists Cunningham, although, she confesses that the committee checked it out with the folk from Wired magazine before going ahead. “It was not deliberate. A couple of the committee said ‘no you can’t’ ... but it was fine.”

Along with the rest of the zealous Wired team, Cunningham is hoping to turn traditional concepts of delivery, creation and consumption of the arts on their ear. “A good cultural policy in Australia will put the emphasis on taking our arts and heritage out to the people,” said Keating back in 1993, but Cunningham begs to differ. “Well, in a way what we’re trying to break down is that notion of ‘the people’,” she argues. “The event will be generated, rather than be taken anywhere by anyone.”

So far, techno-concepts have been the domain of committee member

Zane Trow, the Melbourne based artistic director of the Next Wave festival, which he says was the first festival in Australia to feature both art and technology, back in 1991. Trow is looking at using the Internet for both communication between artists and for administration purposes as Wired gathers momentum. He wants to test the rhetoric of the PM’s Creative Nation statement, and the hype surrounding the information superhighway. “Are we in fact living in the information age?Let’s see, let’s see what kind of long distance communications we can actually make work. ”

Trow, originally a composer of electronic music, feels well equipped to navigate the choppy

Trow: Testing the PM’s Creative Nation rhetoric

waters which separate the IT and arts communities. “It’s important that the arts industry is involved at this kind of level,” he insists. He wants to see the use of slide and text documentation, camcorders, any means capable of being scanned into a festival package, not only for presenting proposals to the Wired crew, but for broadcast on the day of the Very Cool Event.He hopes to use traditional media as well, and is concerned that young people aremisrepresented in the press. “Young people are portrayed as either achieving in sports or they are drug addicts. Young people do a lot of other things apart from jump hurdles and stick needles in their arms.

“The youth population is in fact 25 per cent of Australia,” says Trow, and his view is that they are overlooked by government because many cannot yet vote. He is seeking to get government and media to take their work seriously.

At the moment, the Committee is busy raising

“Young people do a lot of other

things apart from jump hurdles and

stick needles in their arms.”- Zane Trow

awareness of the project in the arts community and advertising in the newspaper for festival proposals. Trow calls it “activating the industry”. As well, Wired committee members have traversed the continent, roving for ideas and feedback from school kids. David Branson, a violinist and director of Canberra based performance group,

Splinters, says the expeditions were a success. Splinters was formed in1985 and is known for productions with titles like “The Censorship of Hysteria” and “The Crime of Yelling”. In the past, Branson has shown his artistic mettle by staging a circus

performance at the Summernats festival in Canberra.

For those who are unfamiliar with this annual tribal event, it consists of hordes of mostly young blokes descending on Canberra’s Exhibition Park in V-8s for a few days of drinking and admiring each other’s chrome. “It didn’t exactly go down very well with the patrons,” admits a rueful Branson of his group’s performance, but at least he had a go, and it may have been the strip show

due to run next which made the crowd restless.

“Wired is making the access available and making the

‘what’ more a question,” says Branson, whose belief that technology is still the province of an elite fuels his enthusiasm to provide more opportunities for youth to deploy IT in art. His experience with school kids on Wired visits suggests that young artists are excited at the prospect. One project Branson

informationage

jrfiwr*rr

knows about is being developed by a musician who wants to place a magazine containing popular music on the Internet. Another is harnessing the awesome force of Doom in a creative way.

“We’re suggesting, and this is the heavy one, it’s about interaction,” says Branson, who hopes to get techno-heads to come out from behind their PCs and communicate with each other. Technical brainwaves from those wanting to dip into the Wired Festival’s “Unusual Collaboration Fund” are treated to the Wired litmus test: “How can you involve a lot of young people in your technological experiment which is going to go towards the media takeover?”

The media takeover will draw on the work of 25 Wired workers, who will be spread across 25 Australian “hot spots” from the middle of 1996. According to the Wired publicity, they will be young artists interested in screen and communications technology based work. “The Wired workers will be the linchpins, the cultural guerillas of regional Wired,” promises the Wired magazine style colour pamphlet produced by the Australia Council. Their mission will be to work with youth in the community and help them “plug into” the Very Cool Event. Both workers and hot spots are yet to be determined. Matthews says there has been “a very healthy response” but it is too early to detect a trend in the sorts of proposals coming in for hot spots ideas.

the crossover between technology and art is one which Wired wants to tap into — “That’s where

we think the future of Australian art and culture sits,” says Trow.

However, Branson says that reality is not as mind-blowing as many think. “There is a lot of promise in it,” he says, “but not much coming through.”

John Conomos, lecturer at the NSW

wired project

festivals, all of which have considerably larger budgets,” says Trow. The committee wants to triple this amount, and most of the hard yakka will fall to a yet to be appointed executive producer.

Matthews says the successful candidate should be appointed shortly, and some interviews have taken place. The position, advertised

Matthews: More money needed

in the general press in May under the fearsome heading: “Wired - four million young people do their thing!” will be a demanding one, with the applicant needing to know a great deal about arts delivery, media, technology and spruiking.

“Someone who’s not a control freak,” says Sophie Cunningham of the ideal incumbent. The right person, she says, will be able to “encompass what is a really big idea.” Little wonder that one Australia Council insider said: “I think they’re having trouble finding the right person.”

One thing is certain: the lucky candidate will need to speak several languages.

Communication with government, artists, youth, media and big business will be essential if the seeds sown by the committee so far are to bear fruit.

But at the end of the day, it will be the young people of Australia who define the festival - executive producers and committee members will be in the back seat while the kids drive. And even if the whole thing trips over its own red tape, what Conomos calls the “ascetic and cultural impact of new technologies” will continue unabated as the classrooms and homes of a new generation resound to the buzzing, of modems and clack of keyboards. m

Dorothy Kennedy is a freelance writer and reporter for Computer Daily News.

University College of Fine Arts, agrees. “What are artists today?” he asked at the recent launch of the 10th Biennale of Sydney’s Ideas Symposium, which will look at the application of new technology in contemporary culture. “The Creative Nation document has overlooked the new literacies of young artists,” he added.

Conomos believes that young

people who are doing extraordinary things with technology are quite blase about their work. He says that what many would see as creative works are to them “pedestrian” exploits with a familiar tool of trade — the PC. Perhaps Wired will unearth some germinating Warhol, unaware that his or her digital activities are in fact at an artistic coalface.

But as Trow, Matthews and every other committee member approached admits, there needs to be more loot in the kitty for Wired to achieve its potential. To this end, the hunt is on for sponsorship and agency support to supplement the current budget.

“While the federal government has put $2.3 million into it, that’s peanuts compared to the Adelaide festival, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth

august ninety five

39

informationage corporate memory

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Hieroglyphics tell the story of a civilisation thousands of years ago, and while they’re not exactly a snap to read, scientists are getting better at it every day. Lee Welch

writes that our real challenge now is preserving the ability to read records produced not 5000 years ago, but just five.

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apid changes in technology push the weak or less favoured to the wall without mercy. Do

you know anyone with a beta video? ^ Computer buyers these days have122 CD-ROM shaped stars in their eyes

when a mere three years ago the term only related to the output of their

favourite band.While technology is bringing us bigger and better facilities with more bells

and whistles, like trying to find a record player to relive the days of vinyl, we could lose the ability to access our past along the way.

What’s at risk is what information managers call the “corporate memory”: the records that make up the history and activity of an organisation. Every document produced or received by an organisation forms part of this memory. Paper records — while they stay on paper — do not pose the problem electronic media does. Any record requiring a piece of equipment or technology in order to be readable is a time bomb for the organisation, unless the ability to retrieve it several years from now is included in planning for the company’s IT future.ouIt’s a problem with very sharp teeth for the corporate sector and the

industry has noticed. John Cook, manager of structured information services for Ferntree Computer Corporation, says the corporate memory needs

to be treated as a company assett, and reorganised as such.“Information can provide a dividend to the company if managed properly,” he

says. “That dividend could be monetary, from improved efficiency and productivity for a commercial organisation. For a non-profit organisation, it will be seen in improved quality of service and a return for stakeholders’ needs.”

The key to retaining access to records is preservation of the easiest form of access so that the information asset is available in any circumstances. Cook says to do this we need to have our information in a form “for which the key is known” - in short, an open system and what he calls a “neutral format”.

Cook champions the development of standards in this area as the safest way u to ensure the preservation of the corporate memory. He refers to two kinds of | standards: the de facto standard determined by wholesale acceptance of *technology, and the official standards developed by standards bodies. J

Cook says de facto standards carry a risk. “They can be faddish and fall out J of favour as quickly as they fell in. And the technology predicated on them can | cause translation problems later if they do fall out of favour.” =

august ninety five

40

informationage corporate memory

The official route takes longer, but the involvement of industry bodies provides a greater degree of guarantee. These standards are nonproprietary and are rigorously tested. This doesn’t mean standards committees never produce lemons. They do. Commercial endorsement is essential to give a standard ‘legs’ amongst consumers. “Otherwise,” notes Cook, “it’s useless.”

Cook says organisations areincreasingly concerned that their

records - their history and very substance - are at risk with the breakneck speed of technological progress. He says it comes first from an awareness within the organisation of the value of information held, and has taken a high profile in organisations which are used to managing quantities of information, such as government agencies and airlines.

These organisations know full well the value of their information and how easily a loss could affect productivity and profit. Cook says it’s often the technical documentation people who recognise this value first, and take steps to protect it.

Another frequent champion of the corporate memory is the records manager. Records managers have tended to lack profile in organisations but increasing awareness of their critical role in preserving information assets should see this change.

Both records managers and IT staff have been targets for the work of the Information Exchange Steering Committee (IESC) and its Electronic Document Management Subcommittee (EDMSC) over the past four years.

The IESC is an advisory body formed to guide Commonwealth agencies in policy and strategy for information technology. The EDMSC was established in 1991 to look at electronic documentation and it identified the headlong rush towards use of electronic documents as cause for concern.

The first chair of the EDMSC was Brenda McConchie, executive director of AIMA Training and Consultancy Services in Canberra,

and one time librarian for the Department of Human Services and Health. The Subcommittee is now chaired by Tom Worthington from the Department of Defence.

Canberra, paper-shuffling capital of Australia and home to government departments of all shapes and sizes, was a natural environment for EDMSC to do its work. McConchie pioneered the introduction of electronic document management at Human Services and Health over a five year period. She shares Cook’s concerns over the precarious position of corporate records in the face of technological change.

“Policies and procedures need new assessment because of the changes brought about by new technology,” she says. “The EDMSC guidelines are intended to help public sector organisations handle the integration of paper and electronic records systems in a way that will protect the integrity of the corporate memory.”

The EDMSC’s first report, Finding Needles in Government Haystacks, noted the absence of a coordinated approach to information management in Commonwealth government agencies and concentration on the purchase of technology over the issue of managing information. Their next step was to publish a report that

identified critical factors in successful introduction of electronic document management (Management of Electronic Documents in the Australian Public Service) and now a set of guidelines are in draft form, soon to be published under the title Improving Electronic Document Management: Guidelines for Australian Government Agencies.

McConchie stresses the role played by training and policy in successful implementation. The experience at the Department of Human Services and Health showed that staff handling electronic records such as messaging, word processed documents or spreadsheets needed to

know the basic principles of file management in order to manage information and avoid duplication.

“The Department dealt with this by setting up policy and procedures that included naming standards, development of a thesaurus, and definitions of levels of management such as personal, workgroup or corporate. Filing systems and training programs for all groups of staff were implemented.

“It’s important to look at the flow and purpose of information in the organisation - what information people are using at their desktop, who they share it with and what happens when it’s finished with. Records in paper and electronic systems need to be linked and accessible together to get the complete history before an action is taken,” McConchie says.

Close relationships between information systems staff and those responsible for managing electronic and paper records are essential.

The publication of the new IESC guidelines will mean organisations with information management skills available inhouse, such as records managers, information technology managers, archivists and librarians, will have a good basis for assessing current procedures and policy.

And it is an issue managers ignore

at their peril. Cook calls the timely delivery of the appropriate information to the appropriate person “mission critical”. The organisation with the foresight to protect the corporate memory and effectively manage its use has the potential to wipe the floor with competitors who are still wondering where the hell they left that file. m

Lee Welch is a Canberra based freelance writer. EDMSC publications are available from the Information Technology and Systems Group, Department of Finance in Canberra. Phone (06) 263 2253 or fax (06) 263 2276.

"the organisation which protects its memory has the potential to wipe the floor with competitors"

august ninety five

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MANAGEMENTHow to measure IT • How to cost IT • How to control IT

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MIS 1995 Spring Conferences

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informationage futurework

IT projects are no more under control now than they were six years ago, according to damning new research by consultancy

KPMG. In a survey of 120 UK organisations, consultant Andy Cole identified several key contributing factors. Failure to specify project goals, poor planning and estimating, poor project management and new technology were all cited as the leading causes of the problems. The research was in to what KPMG calls “runaway projects”, defined as those that fail significantly to meet their aims or which exceed budgets by at least 30 per cent.

To effectively manage IT projects in the next decade, the models of project management will need to be redefined - project activities, and skills required for the new breed of IT project managers to meet these changing demands.

IT project management has traditionally included a series of steps which involve a fairly well defined set of factors including systems analysis, user needs analysis, resource definition and allocation, costing, and technology identification. In addition there are the “people” tasks — identification of key players, organisational politics and negotiation between various stakeholders and suppliers. Much of the project management work is performed by an individual or team of specialists whose task it is to deliver a product which meets user needs on time and on budget. So why will project managers need to change if they are to be effective into the next century?

The move to new technologies such as client/server systems has had a major impact. Technology is developing faster than the life cycles of most of our projects. Projects do not have the same life cycle as five years ago, most have a much shorter timeframe for implementation, driven by the availability of technologies and client demands. Users are no longer prepared to wait

months or even years.Projects which are technology

dependent are subject to the difficulties of making the right decision at the right time. When is the right time to buy/install widget ‘x’ or system ‘y’? The reality is that any IT system will be superseded by a more cost effective, faster and feature rich suite of products within two years. To manage information technology projects, tomorrow’s project manager must be comfortable with managing change. Continual changes in the marketplace, together with the normal changes inherent in managing projects, ensures that the project manager’s life will never be dull.

The new IT project manager needs to be flexible - flexible in their approach to conducting a project, flexible in the solutions they offer, flexible in their ability to adopt a new

and better approach in the course of the project, and flexible in listening to the client. Home based employment poses a challenge for the new IT project manager - a dispered corporate culture is difficult to harness.

The new IT project manager must be able to manage change, especially as it affects the end user. Project teams have, in the past, often been proscriptive - exhibiting an attitude of “we know best” rather than helping users work through their fears and concerns. Australians have one of the highest take-up rates for IT in the world. Knowledge and understanding of IT as a productivity tool comes with this high adoption rate. Users have much to offer in the management of IT projects - this knowledge and enthusiasm can be harnessed by using key clients as part of the project management team.

The new project manager will need to constantly put themselves in their customer’s shoes - listening for new ideas, identifing the corporation’s gossip tree, being a team member.

This new IT project manager also needs to have skills in risk analysis, collaborative work design, be an IT futures trader, a strategic thinker and a corporate adviser.

How will the new IT project manager get there?

Small projects can be made complex by new technologies; they are often more difficult to execute than large ones due to remote locations, tight schedules or other unusual factors. Do not take them lightly. Project management software helps to organise the many, often interdependent tasks of a project. It is designed to impose structure on potential chaos, make sense of

complexity, and help plan, analyse and communicate the management of a project, but will the software respond to the new client-focused IT project manager?

Managing a project is not an easy enterprise. At the very least the management process involves handling

and facilitating complex interactions between various groups. No project starts with a perfect schedule - all projects need evaluation and adjustment. Flexibility is the key to success. Major decisions often have to be “on the fly” - far from the structured analysis inherent in project management texts.

In the next decade the fundamental measure of success in project management will remain almost the same across application areas. It is based on the completion of the project, meeting the needs of users, on time and within budget. ia

Marilyn Beamish is an information technology project specialist at Queensland’s Griffith University. She specialises in assisting organisations to manage the changes brought about by IT. She can be contacted online at [email protected]

perpetual motionIn the 21st century flexibility

will be the key to successful IT project management! writes

Marilyn Beamish-

august ninety five

43


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informationage

IT wondirworldWith ITWorld’95 now less than seven weeks away, registration brochures for

this inaugural Asia Pacific Information Technology Congress are now available.

society pages

Michele Dolin

John Smyrk

presentations by three leading consultants.

John Smyrk, principal of Sigma Management Science, will argue The computer project is dead, long live the business initiative!Mike Vitale, professor of information systems, University of Melbourne, will provide keys for Identifying and implementing IS practices that make a difference. Rob

Thomsett, director of the Thomsett Company, will discuss Fourth wave management - the new IT management paradigm.

Finally, two educators will close the keynote day by putting technology into perspective. Peter Weill, foundation chair of management (IS), University of Melbourne, will address the question Does IT infrastructure pay off?Kevin Morris, Australian Computing and Communications Institute, will challenge and impress with his paper If you want to hear a lion roar, go to the zoo!

Both before and after the keynote day, delegates will have the opportunity to attend any of the 17 specialist forums which are being held under the banner of ITWorld’95.

The appointment of Qantas as official airline means that delegates travelling to Brisbane for the Congress can obtain a 45 per cent discount on their airline tickets.

A joint venture of

the Australian Computer Society

and the Australian Information Industry Association (AHA), ITWorld’95 will take place in Brisbane from 24-27 September.

Prime Minister Paul

_______ tom

Keating has been invited to officially open the

event and discuss his government's

approach to a National Information

Infrastructure, while Queensland Premier Wayne Goss has been approached to address the local scene.

The theme for the keynote day on Monday 25 September is Australia - Winning with IT.

Two distinguished international speakers will provide a global perspective. Japan based Mark Shearer, general manager of the Telecommunications and MediaIndustry Group, IBM Asia-Pacific, will talk about Global directions innational information infrastructure-, while Jim Ware, managing principal, business analysis and planning within Unisys Corporation’s Worldwide InformationServices Group, will discuss Rethinking work - new approaches to enterprise and workgroup effectiveness.

The nationalperspective on IT will be addressed by a three- part series. Michele Dolin, director ofcorporate services, Challenge Bank WA, will consider What seniormanagement expects from IT. Dr Ian

Reinecke, chair of Queensland's Information Industry Board and Information Policy Board, and pro vice-chancellor of the University of Queensland, will discuss Government directions in IT. Graeme Simsion, managing director of Simsion Bowles & Associates, should raise a few eyebrows with his topic If you mention American Airlines again, I'll scream! - BPR in Australia.

Once the national perspective has been clarified, the keynote day will begin to focus on Perspectives on IS Management, through a series of

august ninety five

46I

Tackling communications at ToukleyThe cream of the NSW IT community will gather at The Beach Resort at Toukley on the NSW Central Coast on 10-12 November 1995 for the annual ACS state conference.

Around 200 IT professionals are expected to attend the event, which will focus on the latest developments in communications technologies and the implications for business and the wider community.

Brendan Hanelly, chairman of the NSW Branch, says the conference will feature some of Australia’s leading experts in the fields of communications, the World Wide Web and mobile computing. Guest speakers include Gerry Davis, the managing director of OnAustralia, the joint venture between Telstra and Microsoft; Mark Heath erington, managing director of Access Systems; Dr Phil McCrea from the CSIRO; Strategic Publishing Group’s Graeme Philipson; and Jeremy Fox of Bell South, among others.

, “The hot topics in the US at the moment are the World Wide Web and

mobile computing, and we are going

i 'll to examine both^ these issues in light

of the Australian experience, ” says Hannelly.“Our focus will be

communications and what you can do with it, including areas like electronic commerce and multimedia. ”

As well as the formal conference sessions, there will be opportunities for networking and the exchange of ideas during a range of social activities planned for the weekend.

ndup

Nomination deadline is nighNominations for the position of ACS president for 1996-97 close on 24 August 1995.

The current president, Garry Trinder, and immediate past

informationage society pages

president, Geoff Dober, are not eligible for election.

Nominations are also sought within the same timeframe for the positions of vice president and the director of the Community Affairs Board. More information on the activities of the Community Affairs Board is available from National Office.

The nominations, including a position statement from each candidate, should be forwarded to the chief executive officer, Suite 1, 200 Riley St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010.

A home in the HunterThe ACS has launched a new branch at Newcastle to service and support IT professionals living and working on the NSW Central Coast and in the Hunter Region.

Richard Bridge, a member of the ACS NSW Executive, says the Newcastle branch will help to improve communications between the Society and the growing number of ACS members in this area.

“We have a lot of members on the Central Coast and surrounding areas who don’t have sufficient contact with the NSW ACS office. There are also many opportunities for greater interaction with local government bodies and private sector organisations operating in the region,” he says.

For more information, call the NSW ACS office on (02) 299 2322 or email [email protected]

Presenters pleaseA number of international conferences have issued calls for papers:

IEA96AIE, the Ninth International Conference on Industrial and Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems, will be held in Fukuoka, Japan, in June next year.

The conference has set a 5 November deadline to receive submissions of papers on topics such as automated problem solving, computer vision, intelligent tutoring, robotics, neural networks, and speech recognition.

august ninety five

47

For more information, contact the general chair, Professor Moonis Ali, on telephone: + 1 512 245 3409, fax: + 1 512 245 8750, or email: [email protected]

IFIP SEC’96, the 12th International Information Security Conference, will be held from 21-24 May on the Island of Samos, Greece. The conference has taken the theme:IS Security: Facing the Information Society of the 21st Century.

Papers are sought by 15 July on topics such as IS management, database security, practical applications of cryptography, intrusion detection systems, privacy issues, and smart card technologies.

For more information, contact KYROS (local organiser),77 Kountourioti Street, Athens 12242 Greece, or email: [email protected]

ED&TC, the European Design and Test Conference, to be held in Paris next March, is seeking papers on topics such as full systems design, digital ASIC and ASIP design, architectural synthesis, formal verification, and test program development tools and techniques.

Papers must be received by 8 September 1995. For more information, contact the Conference Secretariat, CEP Consultants Ltd,43 Manor Place, Edinburgh EH3 7EB, telephone: +44 131 300 3300, fax: +44 131 300 3400.

All in the familyParents and Computers magazine is offering a free copy to all ACS members. The magazine, published by Perth Technical Writers, provides concise and readable articles about software for children.

Past issues have focused on software for children aged 0-4, providing short reviews of each package as well as some very useful articles outlining the normal skills of a four year old and what to look for in software for that age group.

To obtain a free copy or to subscribe to the magazine, call Neil Bloomfield on (09) 409 1122.




information.’*? society pages

Have you registered to receive your ACS Visa Gold Card?

As a Professional Member of the ACS, you can gain access to one of Australia’s most generous rewards programs, earning points every time you use your Gold Card, and enjoy the benefits of unique services like Preferred Seating.

Preferred Seating books only A Reserve or Premium Reserve seating, so you’re guaranteed a great night out every time.

Tom Jones brings his Three Decades of Cool tour to Australia in December. Don’t miss out on What’s New Pussycat! Tickets will be limited.

Billy Connolly is due to tour in September, bringing his own

brand of outrageous Scottish humour down under once more.

Preferred Seating is also booking for the following events and more. Call (02) 352 3300 between 8.30am and 7.00pm for a complete update.Sydney: Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, The Secret Garden, Sydney Kings Basketball, The Snow Queen, Hot Shoe Shuffle, Tap Dogs, The Mikado

_ _ , , Melbourne: Beauty and thelOp 0 f t h i C|:U 6 U 6 Beast, 1996 Ford Australian

Open Tennis Championships Adelaide: Adelaide Grand PrixBrisbane: The Secret Garden Perth: Hello Dolly

You may also register your name on the Events Waitlist for any of shows below. If the event is confirmed and tickets become available, Preferred Seating will call you to inquire if you wish to make a booking.Concerts: Bruce Springsteen, k.d.lang, James Brown, Seinfeld, Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson, Wet Wet Wet, Elton John, Take ThatTheatre: (The Who’s) Tommy, Sunset Boulevard, Gershwin’s Crazy for You, The Secret Garden (Melbourne)

Don’t forget these services are all Bonus Providers - you’ll earn one rewards point and four bonus points for every dollar spent. For example, if you purchase two tickets to Miss Saigon in Sydney, you’ll earn 943 points.

All tickets are subject to a minimum $6.00 per ticket service fee to cover booking and delivery. Once purchased, tickets cannot be cancelled, exchanged or refunded. Bookings are subject to availability. Sorry, no concessions available.

CS Towards

to

fl9i

2000,the Society’s new

blueprint for its membership structure into the next century, will now come into force from 1 December 1995. Until that date, those renewing or applying for membership will be accepted for processing under existing regulations. This also applies to those members who apply to

upgrade their membership during the next four months.

Planning is well underway for a membership

structure that will clearly position the Society as the professional body for the IT industry,” says Denis Street, coordinator of the ACS Towards 2000 Implementation Group.

“We are developing a structure which provides both recognition for those possessing the professional body of knowledge, and a clear articulation path to

□ wardprogress to this higher level for those possessing only a sub-set of that professional body of knowledge.”

During December, all existing members will be transferred into the new structure, which comprises three main divisions:• Professional Division• Fellow• Member• Practitioner Division• Associate• Graduate• Student Division• Student

The Implementation Group is currently developing detailed entry criteria for “new entrants” to each grade and formal articulation rules will apply to transfers from the Practitioner Division into the Professional Division.

The grade of Affiliate is being

retained but no new members willbe accepted into this grade

after 1 December 1995.“One of the key features of

planning this transition has been ensuring we preserve our obligations to existing members and to those students currently enrolled in relevant courses,” Street says.

“By this I mean that for members holding the grades of Associate, Provisional Associate or Student at 1 December, we will ensure their existing pathway to professional membership remains the same.

“For example, an Associate who in December requires two more years of experience before upgrading to Member, will be transferred to the grade of Associate in the new Practitioner Division and will still require only two more years of professional experience before being eligible to upgrade to Member in the Professional Division.”

august ninety five

48

informationage society pages

ACS-liink out to tenderm he president of the ACS, Garry Trinder, recently

i j advised ACS-link users of a decision by the

!| management committee to terminate the agreement

between the ACS and Pegasus, the incumbent service provider for ACS-link.

In announcing the decision, Trinder said: “In attempting to resolve the recent difficulties of pricing changes proposed by Pegasus, the changes to the Austpac charging system and a proposal to introduce an annual fee, it has become apparent that these changes cannot be considered within the structure of our current agreement with Pegasus.

“Consequently, Pegasus has been given six months notice of termination as provided by the agreement. This will allow for a complete market review of Internet service

providers so that the ACS is aware of the options for the selection of a national service provider. This also allows for Pegasus, if they wish, to submit a proposal to be the service provider of ACS-link.

“The management committee believes the ACS should receive the fairest market arrangement possible. The cheapest provider will not necessarily be viewed as the best - factors such as customer service, technical expertise and operating track record will be considered.”

The ACS Council will discuss the future direction of ACS-link at its meeting in September. A document setting out the alternatives is currently being produced.

Arthur Dyster, chief executive of the ACS, indicated that members who have views to express on this topic can do so either by e-mailing [email protected] or by calling the ACS National Office on 1800 626 029.

ProfessionalAr

SRI LANKA - SEARCC’95, the annual conference of the South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation, in Colombo.Called Sharing Information Technology Achievements for Regional Growth, SEARCC’95 will feature speakers like Dr Arthur C Clarke, Dr Vinton Clerf and Dr Cliff Stoll. For more information, contact ACS National Office on

1 5lantomhpr

NSW - The International World Wide Web Asia Pacific Conference has moved to Darling Harbour in Sydney. Authorised by the International WWW Committee, the conference has the theme: WWW - changing the way we work, learn and play. For more information contact Professor Bob Moore on telephone (069) 33 2853

QLD - The ACS Council will meet

QLD - The first Asia Pacific IT Congress, ITWorld’95 will take place at the Brisbane Parkroyal. With a keynote day featuring world class speakers discussing the

development of a national information infrastructure, ITWorld’95 also includes over 20 forums. Contact Angela Laffey on (07) 263 9777.

■IQLD - The inaugural Asia Pacific Distributed Solutions Event will be held at Hyatt Regency Coolum. Entitled Real Solutions for a Distributed World, this event will discuss solutions to distributed computing problems using real-life case studies. Speakers include Patricia Seybold. For more information, contact Liz Armstrong

. ^n (Q7L365 4310.■Ifl-ivNSW - ACS NSW State Conference will be held at The Beach Resort, Toukley on the NSW Central Coast. Focusing on the latest developments in communications and mobile computing, the conference includes speakers like Gerry Davis and Dr Phil McCrea. For more information, contact Ailsa Russell on (02) 299 2322 or email [email protected]

■I Q.,^7ACT - AI’95, the 8th Australian Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, to be held in Canberra, will include streams on AI research and real-world applications of AI,

D iaryas well as tutorials and workshops. For more information, contact

^ Dr Bob McKay on (06) 268 8169.HiatriAvrirti&r

QLD - APSEC’95, the Asia Pacific Software Engineering Conference, will take place in Brisbane. Keynote speakers are Dines Bjrner and Steve Meunch. For more information, contact Angela Laffey on

CANADA - Broadband Communications ’96 will be held in Montreal. This international conference will focus on the latest research and experience gained on a range of topics central to broadband communications. For more information, contact Professor Lome Mason on telephone: +1 514 765 7836, fax: +1 514 761 8501, or email:

ACT - IFIP’96, the 1996 World

_ hb96@inj:s-telecom.iiqueh1ec1ca_ _flioriiComputer Congress, will be held at the National Convention Centre in Canberra. The Congress will comprise three concurrent conferences on the topics Mobile^ Communications; Advanced IT Tools; and Teleteaching 96. For more information, contact ACS National Office on (02) 211 5855.

august ninety five

49



informationage technicalities

Fuzzy logic, with its fuzzy sets,fuzzy inferences and fuzzy rules, in conjunction with neural

networks, produces decidely unfuzzy results. The brainchild of Azerbaijan born Lotfi Zadeh, fuzzy logic emerged in the 1960s and like so many productive ideas in the computer industry, was initially used by the military in connection with missile tracking.

Best described as beyond the conventional two valued - true/false - crisp logic and encompassing multiple values, fuzzy logic is used by increasing numbers of corporate giants. Fuzzy projects range from ascertaining reaction to economic changes on the bond and stock markets; to interpreting fire alarm systems; for power stabilization; in homing guidance systems; in evaluating accident management in a boiling water reactor, for building intelligence into auto-pilots and even deciphering dimple defects of polished wafer surfaces.

According to Zadeh, fuzziness is inherent in our speaking. Statements can only be true to some degree. On a philosophical level, fuzzy logic is a departure from the Judaic-Christian concept of good/bad as diametrically opposed concepts, translated into true/false in 20th century thinking. Zadeh’s fuzzy logic is based on a spectrum of truth values sliding between completely true as value (1) through to completely false (0).

According to Zadeh, everything except our numbering system is fuzzy. We assign a membership concept to everything around us. This is both constant and automatic in communication: “She is tall”, “He is not so tall”, “They are short” ... This is in effect a fuzzy set of tall people. Using the Zadehian scale of 1 to 0, nearly true in a fuzzy set has the value of, say, 0.8, while nearly false would have a value of either 0.2 or 0.1, with 0.5 representing the middle ground.

Based on the principle of uncertainty, fuzzy logic holds that as the complexity of a group or set

increases, corresponding difficulty emerges in making precise or accurate statements concerning that group or set. Ultimately precision and significance become mutually incompatible, with a complex system only describable in an imprecise way. Thus while we may be able to be specific on one aspect of a complex system, inevitably that isolated component loses its accuracy in relation to the entire phenomenon of interconnected parts.

Fuzzy sets are not primarily concerned with probability, the what if questions, but rather with degree of membership - this is called the complement. In a fuzzy set of tall buildings, the Empire State Building in Manhattan has a membership in a tall set of buildings of 0.8; a suburban house has a low degree of membership, say 0.1, but in the

complement fuzzy class of low building its membership would be, say, 0.8 (0.1 -0.8).

On a mathematical level, crisp logic is achieved using the and/or style question, however fuzzy rules of inference using if/then produce an immense range of possibilities and act as an input/output converter from one fuzzy set to another. For example, if a required water flow is high (0.9), then the tap is fully turned on (0.9); if the required water flow is medium (0.4), the tap is medium open (0.4 or 0.5). All ranges of the tap and the flow of water constitute fuzzy sets.

The product of associated fuzzy sets is termed “fuzzy patch”. The size of the patch represents the vagueness of the patch. Precision reduces this fuzziness. A controller looks to the centre of gravity of the inherent geometric construct making up the fuzzy system, and with precise

compromise finds the point of vertical intersection. The result is a crisp command leading directly to a numerical response.

With its immense range of mathematical possibilities, fuzzy logic is integrated extensively in multivalued logical neural networks. In a complex mathematical architecture, the fuzzy system consists of a network of weights used in conjunction with corresponding input. Via the transfer function, a value is generated that is compared back to the threshold. If the threshold is exceeded, the neuron fires or sends a signal from 1 or the required high value. If the threshold is not exceeded, the neuron sends a 0 or low value representing a low value over the imput line.

The weights of the neural system are vital in as much as the value assigned to each affects the functionality of the

system. The weights, in conjunction with the architecture of the network, determine the patterns the network recognises and categorises. The weights are ‘trained’ for optimum system performance and can be compared to excellent management which

consistently tests the organisational structure to ensure better management performance.

Fuzzy logic has fired a storm around the world, with fuzzy societies emerging from Spain to Canada. Both technical and non-mathematical books are available, as well as a collection of journals including the International Journal of Uncertainty, Fuzziness and Knowledge-Based Systems. Most of the literature is produced in the USA. A number of US companies write fuzzy software, ranging from Windows based Fuzzy Logic Shells to a graphical fuzzy development environment.

Fuzziness may well come to have an entire new implication in future lexicography. ia

Sydney based Josephine Zananiri works and undertakes research within the computer industry.

fundamentally fuzzyJosephine Zananiri examines

the doctrine of fuzzy logicn which is a lot sharper than

it sounds.

august ninety five

50

How would you feel if you missed next months MIS magazine?

r.' • ' ::7T?~TpftT -•• -••<<*•

|||j■’i"r-wm

*■’ '

Pretty upset, eh?Imagine missing our profiles of innovative MIS sites. Our key interviews with

MIS managers. Our reporting and analysis of MIS management issues which are simply not covered anywhere else.

No wonder that in a resent survey* sponsored by five competing publishers, senior IT decision makers top scored MIS magazine in 13 different categories.

Why? Because MIS magazine is a publication written for MIS managers, about MIS managers, featuring MIS managers, where the content is dictated by MIS managers who sit on our Advisory Editorial Board.

It’s vour magazine.Subscribe today on the subscription form inserted in this edition to save

money off the newsstand price, and receive three extra editions each year (MIS Star Gazer, MIS 100, and the Computerworld 100).

Then you can be sure you won’t miss MIS. Ever.

msYour Peer Network

*RaMlS Research: “Decision-Making and Media Usage Within the IT Market", prepared for the Information Technology Research Committee (1TRC) November 19S>4. For a copy please call Kate McCarthy on +6l 2 286 5900.

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