Maguet de Icaza: Free software benefits people,
countries and companies by giving them complete control of the software on which
they depend. This is helping close the digital divide between developed and
underdeveloped countries. People who previously might never have had access to
this sort of technology are already leading the efforts to bring it to the
developing world. Free software is the foundation on which a fairer future and a
more efficient economy is being built. Austin Hill:
Welcome to the future. Your mobile phone tracks your location, your
interactive TV records your viewing habits. Privacy is to the information age
what environmentalism was to the industrial age. Businesses will protect
themselves, and their customers, by introducing privacy-promoting technologies
and building better data controls into every aspect of their operation. A
leading class of privacy protectors will emerge in every industry, and both they
and their customers will reap the rewards of the ethical privacy brand. Ng
Ede Phang: This will be the year that plain old text e-mail
sits up and starts talking--and talking a lot. The human voice is a powerful
weapon. An e-mail doesn’t tell me whether you’re happy, sad or excited, whereas
Internet voice services provide all these key emotional characteristics. The
human voice adds a very powerful element to business relationships that e-mail
just cannot match. Murray Goldman: For those of us who
live on airplanes, a key decision is which electronic devices to carry on a
trip. The future is in the appropriate combination of communications and
computing devices. Many business travelers will require the full computing power
of a personal computer, with a screen large enough to do intensive work. As a
result, lightweight notebooks have been introduced to the market with innovative
options such as built-in DVDs, cameras and wireless
capabilities. Christine Karman: We’ll see agents on
portals and community websites helping people trade goods and information.
Venture capitalists are shifting from dotcoms to software and hardware
companies. In Europe, that shift is hard to make because we don’t have a Silicon
Valley from which lots of companies are conquering the world. As a consequence,
the slowly emerging Internet and software industry in Europe may not survive. If
I were starting a new software company now, I’d go to California or
Boston. Now match each of the people (61 to 65) to the
appropriate statement. Note: there are two extra
statements. Statements [A] Business travelers will set the
trend of future computer market. [B] Europe will catch up with America in the
high-tech industry. [C] Free software helps bring about digital
equality. [D] Voice e-mail adds a human touch to online communication. [E]
Compactness and multi-function will be a trend in the future market. [F]
Privacy needs special protection in the information age. [G] The digital
divide between Europe and the U.S. may widen. Maguet de Icaza