RE: History of the IT industry

["Michael West" <mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- com>]

Andrew Warren wrote:
> Michael West [mailto:mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- com] wrote:
> 
> > I'm sure I could go down to the local McDonalds and ask if anyone
> > there works in the Food Service industry and get nothing but blank
> > stares.
> 
> Mike:
> 
> Stopped at McDonald's for an Egg McMuffin and a delicious orange juice
this
> morning.  Asked Chris how long he'd been working in the food service
industry; he
> said a month here and three months last summer at Wendy's.
> 
> -Andrew, who'd rather know than assume

Glad you enjoyed your orange juice.

The original issue in this discussion was whether "a software company" (as
it was described by the OP) can be considered part of the IT industry. It
appears that the responses generally fall into 3 groups:

1. Yes, it can. This opinion is in general accordance with standard
reference works, university publications and curricula in the US and UK, the
US National Science Foundation, and others.  

2. No, it can't, because "software" should be considered a separate industry
from, for example, computer hardware. This is really more of a qualified
agreement than a disagreement, because it simply seeks a further refinement
of all computer-related industry classifications down to finer granularity. 

My response to that is that how the IT pie can best be divided depends on
the context and purpose of the discussion. If an economist is writing about
"the IT industry", and does not specifically *exclude* software companies
from that category, then it would be reasonable to assume that they are
included for purposes of that analysis.

3. No, it can't, because it isn't a term I or my friends use. This is
clearly the only possible correct answer.

I'm happy to leave there.
--
Mike West

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

---
You are currently subscribed to TECHWR-L as archive -at- web -dot- techwr-l -dot- com -dot- 

To unsubscribe send a blank email to 
techwr-l-unsubscribe -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
or visit http://lists.techwr-l.com/mailman/options/techwr-l/archive%40web.techwr-l.com


To subscribe, send a blank email to techwr-l-join -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com

Send administrative questions to admin -at- techwr-l -dot- com -dot-  Visit
http://www.techwr-l.com/ for more resources and info.