Browsing: Opinion

What’s the new favourite sport of Silicon Valley billionaires? No, it’s not Segway polo (although that is still popular). Rather, it’s patent infringement lawsuits. Hardly a week goes by without a new one being announced. At last count Nokia is suing

The patenting of SA software is the subject of much heated debate. Though the concept has never having been examined by our judicial system, software patent applications are being granted by our Patent Office. Former public

There are two good reasons to avoid any software implementation process that will take more than two to (at most) six months. The first is cost: IT consultants don’t come cheap, and the business case for your fancy new software can start looking shaky very quickly

When broadcasters switch to digital television, a valuable chunk of radio frequency spectrum will be freed up for broadband. The country ought to have a debate now about how to use this spectrum to bring affordable Internet

If you’re one of the planet’s approximately 1,6bn Microsoft Windows users, then chances are you’re pretty used to viruses. They come at you from every angle — e-mail, websites, flash memory sticks — and if you’re sensible you have

Microsoft’s provocative US$8,5bn acquisition of Internet telephony company Skype set tongues wagging in the technology industry last week. The deal has been described as everything from a smart strategic buy to desperate flailing

If life was like Twitter we’d all be remarkably witty, if abrupt. We’d sometimes finish sentences with an agreed upon keyword, pronounced with slightly different emphasis, and we would all vote DA

The economic crisis brought to light hidden challenges facing the global banking industry. Now a significant trend among local banks has emerged: high cost-to-income ratios. In light of this

When does a market go from being a “growth sector” to a bubble? As with falling in love, it’s hard to put an exact date on the event. And, just like a love affair, a bubble is marked by growing excitement, lavish spending

Tuesday’s announcement by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer that it will buy Skype for a whopping US$8,5bn hasn’t been universally welcomed. Many critics are questioning the logic of the deal, with some saying