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Subject:Re: History of the IT industry From:"Michael West" <mbwest -at- bigpond -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Mon, 2 Jun 2008 20:54:56 +1000
> My reading of the "original issue" was that an individual who
> worked in a software company was unhappy because there
> was no industry category that he deemed suitable for his,
> including "IT." This view probably falls into your #3 response
> group, but in the absence of any responses from people
> saying that they too work for software companies and feel
> that they are a part of the "IT industry," I'd say his view wins.
>
> Gene Kim-Eng
Gosh, I wasn't aware that there was anything to be won or lost. Except
perhaps a bit of clarity. Someone complained that employment in a software
company was not included in a survey, and I pointed out that it was indeed
included, under the heading "IT industry".
If what you are saying is that some people "feel" unhappy because they don't
"feel" that they belong under a certain category, you'll get no argument
from me. People apparently "feel" all sorts of things.
But if you are saying that it is unreasonable to consider a software company
to be part of the IT industry, the preponderance of evidence is against you.
Aside from the dictionary definitions already adduced, I can point to
numerous official and quasi-official, professional, peer-reviewed IT
industry publications that explicitly include software companies as being
under their purview. Has anyone pointed to a single one that explicitly
excludes software companies from "the IT industry" ? All I've read here is
anecdotal testimony saying various contradictory things.
Saying that *you* don't use the term that way and saying that "it isn't used
that way" are two very different things.
But you wanna call it a "win" -- go for it.
I offer the following grab-bag of randomly selected Google hits to prove
that the statement "the IT Industry does not include software" is patently
false. But it should be obvious to anyone who reads trade publications as
well as mainstream newspapers and magazines that the term is widely used
with that meaning.
Regardless of how anyone "feels" about it.
--------------
"The association again reorganized in 1994 and was renamed the Information
Technology Industry Council or ITI. The new name better reflected the
dynamic IT industry as it is today -- consisting of manufacturers and
suppliers of computers, telecommunications, business equipment, software,
and IT services." [http://www.itic.org/about.php]
--
IT (information technology) is a term that encompasses all forms of
technology used to create, store, exchange, and use information in its
various forms (business data, voice conversations, still images, motion
pictures, multimedia presentations, and other forms, including those not yet
conceived). It's a convenient term for including both telephony and computer
technology in the same word. It is the technology that is driving what has
often been called "the information
revolution."[http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid80_gci
214023,00.html]
--
The Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) is the premier
high-tech industry association working to maintain America's role as the
world's innovation headquarters.
Our mission is to represent and enhance the competitive interests of the
U.S. information technology and electronics industries. The Association
provides leadership in business development, public policy advocacy, market
forecasting and standards development to more than 350 corporate members.
Its members range from the smallest start-ups to industry leaders offering
services, system integration, Internet, telecommunications, software,
electronics and hardware solutions to the public and commercial sector
markets.
The Association has offices in the Washington, DC area and Silicon Valley
and unique affiliations with regional and national technology groups across
America and around the world. It maintains a formal alliance with more than
40 regional associations in the U.S. and Canada, representing 16,000
technology-related companies, through the Council of Regional Information
Technology Associations (CRITA). ITAA also serves as secretariat for the
World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), a network of 69
industry associations in countries around the world. These special
partnerships, combined with ITAA's advocacy efforts and initiatives on the
state, local, federal, and global levels, make for an unrivaled network that
provides broad impact on policy matters and market access in the US and
around the world. [http://www.itaa.org/about/about.cfm]
--
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