The best technology stories of the coming year will be those written by journalists who focus not on the latest hyping of "vaporware," --- definition: the regurgiation of new corporate entities and their investment bankers. Nor will it be platform or operating system flakking. (You know The Usual Suspects and how they will tell you, invariably and day-after-day, that Linux is where the future lies, that Microsoft 2000's flaws are behind us, that the Mac OS is the place to be.)

No, I predict that the best technology journalism of this year will be from those who are looking at how non-desktop appliance apps will work seamlessly for the average business user and trickle down to the average person, then talk common sense about how so-called "Geeks" finally come to their senses and adapt to non-geek issues.

We can now take it almost as a canon of Holy Writ that most so-called technology sites are falling into the same trap as television news organizations, that of re-printing each others press releases. That is why authoritative journalism about important issues will ultimately win the day

Here's another example of what I'm talking about: my friend, Darhl Stultz, whose writing has appeared in this space and who I've mentioned before, does a great job of looking at what MIS/IT workers have to address in their day-to-day lives, while also bringing in the social aspect of this kind of work. Following this link provides an excellent example for you of what I'm talking about. Crisp, simple and to the point.

(Of course, one of my favorite writers on IT issues will always be this guy. Ahem!)

Issues and Answers

• What are the best strategies for dealing with the challenge of the increasing internationalization of the Internet and how will Extranets (proprietary Web sites, access to which are only available to international vendors and business partners) be "localized" to better serve a world-wide constituency? One expert that Memoirs of the Information Age (MOIA) plans to bring in to address these questions is Andres Heuberger, CEO of fxtrans.com
  
  
• The telecoms are struggling to meet the demand for higher bandwidth. Even with AT&T rushing to become a market leader in the United States, looking at examples like beleaguered British Telecom and Germany's Deutsche Telekom's problems should give us some insight during this year on how quickly the folks "across The Pond" will catch up. The prospects right now are questionable.
  
  
• What about the Asian challenge? Chinese is now the fastest growing language on Internet Web sites. Astute observers will look for opportunities presented by this change and English will no longer be expected to be the Lingua Franca of the 'Net. Meanwhile, the Chinese government is one of the the biggest regulators of Internet access and traffic. How will this shakeout? We'll be looking for answers here this year.
  
  
• Is Linux the proverbial "one trick pony?" It's starting to seem so as Linux advocacy sites tank and fail, Linux-based companies tank and devalue, but Microsoft is on the run, too. What's the real story? We'll explore it.
  
  
• Is techno-reliance another part of the "Bell Curve" syndrome in global society, or will the impulse for greater involvement, access and freedom prevail? This may well be one of the most important questions, both for nations and individuals. We'll tap our international network of correspondents to give you answers.

This is the MOIA agenda for 2001.

We hope you'll come back here often to find our answers and invite your friends to join our international discussion list.

The Faustian Bargain

Rod Amis

Of those two categories, the former were succubi and the latter were fools.

Another part of the mandate here at MOIA will be to help you avoid the Faustian Bargain, keep your priorities straight and not fall into either classification.

In the aftermath of The Great Dot.com Shakeout of 2000, we know what stock options are worth. Over 30,000 people were laid off from "blue sky" dot.coms during the last year. E-commerce suffered from faulty infrastructure investments. Venture capital dried up. The gullible public was raped in the process. The myth of the shortage of qualified IT workers continued to be trumpeted and influence Congressional decision-making in the United States. Meanwhile, more and more people flocked to this medium as the hype-machine operated non-stop.

Think about it.

If you are reading this column, you are one of the people who can have an impact on the Next Generation of the Internet. Take the risk of involvement...

Happy New Year!