[LINK] Microsoft MD to chair govt ICT advisory board

[Brenda Aynsley]

Jan Whitaker wrote:
> At 08:51 AM 3/09/2006, Kim Holburn wrote:
>>> The Department of Communications Information Technology and the
>>> Arts (DCITA) has revised the Ministerial ICT advisory board which
>>> will now have Microsoft Australia's managing director Steve Vamos
>>> as its chairman.
> 
> Do any linkers know this person to be able to have confidence that he 
> won't be biased to 'ICT = personal computer = Microsoft'?  Hopefully 
> others on the committee will be able to expand the agenda beyond that 
> limited perspective.


Steve Vamos is a "good guy".  He is or was an active member of AIIA and 
has spoken sensibly at at least one lunch I went to where he was the 
guest speaker.  The tenor of his speeches is on productivity and 
economic growth. An example is at 
http://www.microsoft.com/Australia/presspass/news/pressreleases/2005_11_4_GAP_Congress_Knowledge_Capital.mspx

Sure he's going to make the usual microsoft claims about innovation and 
the like, and probably most in the room at the time will agree with him, 
but he will be seeking to enhance the use and value of ICT to people in 
business and the community and has a good knowledge of it, at least from 
the MS perspective.  Because he's MS, his voice will be heard and that's 
on the whole "a good thing" - not the perfect situation, but better than 
  not having a viable voice at all.

I think we have to expect that there is still a lot of work to be done 
to increase awareness of alternatives and the folks at Linux Australia 
are gaining traction in that regard along with the Open Source Industry 
Australia.

cheers
brenda

-- 
Brenda Aynsley, FACS
Chairman ACS SA http://www.acs.org.au/

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