| As dawn broke over the 21st century, Information Technology officially celebrated its golden anniversary … it might be thought that the 50 year-mark would go hand-in-hand with the age of reason, but nothing could be further from the truth. In the extended family of innovation, IT is still the rebellious teenager: immature, incomplete and frustrating. Frequent counter-performances have left users irritated, while corporate board-members continue to be annoyed by the sheer unpredictability of results, despite the massive investments being made. So often in the world of IT, arx tarpeia capitoli proxima: high praise is swiftly followed by a sharp fall! The lack of foresight on the part of programmers led to record turnover being generated by the need to correct the Y2K bug and its actual or presumed effects. The overlyhyped stock market triumphs of the New Economy were followed by a nosedive which left investors in a state of shock; the very investors who had sought to plough their funds and put their unlimited trust in high-yield ventures which would seemingly be devoid of setbacks. Nevertheless, IT remains fallow ground for dreams of greater things, and is still behind many a success story. It continues to embody a new intellectual frontier, offering a world of ubiquity and unlimited exploits. |
