The recent debate about whether IT matters anymore sparked many interesting comments from readers. Many agreed with my contention that the real problem is a lack of innovation in the software business.
"The big software companies do little in the way of innovation, but have crushed most of the competition," wrote one reader. "Very few companies write new software to be installed directly on PCs (other than games), mainly because of the threat of new versions of Windows or other software having the equivalent software built into it. The new Web-based software solutions are threatened as well. The cost of the established software is too much for what you get, and there is this constant push towards upgrades or monthly fees."
Many readers see Open Source as the ultimate solution in that regard. "The very fact that M$ and other large corporations are now resorting to legal means to stiffle innovation demonstrates that the Open Source revolution is rapidly bursting the economic philosophy and control that such corporations have held over the average citizen," wrote another reader. "Otherwise, there would be no incentive to invest so heavily in lawyers and politicians that diminish their productivity relative to Open Source. Of course, their efforts will slow technological innovation in some countries such as the US, but it will not impede open source in the world at large where US laws are largely irrelevant or unenforceable and where people are often too poor to pay high prices anyway."
But some feel the problem, and the answer, still lies with IT professionals themselves. "Why is it IT folks resist Linux, UNIX and OS X when they are more open, more solid and offer more innovative ways to work with data?" messaged another reader. "Could it be the MCSE certification programs turn out lemmings with a limited set of solutions? Too many square pegs in round holes! When the knowledge set is limited, so goes the vision for possibilities of solutions. Innovation, openness, interoperability, best solutions, creativity, ought to be the watchwords for IT professionals. Not 'comfort zone, everyone's doing it, safe bet, it's good enough, no one will notice.'"
10:58:37 AM 
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