On Fri, 2003-08-15 at 19:11, Niall Douglas wrote:
I hope so, but if you look at most other areas of outsourcing industry this simply hasn't happened. The third world gets all the pollution, crappy jobs and a tiny fraction of the money. The west retains all the power, profit and the elite jobs. The whole process is called "streamlining" and "increasing productivity" which is what industry has been demanding of the software industry for some time. It's just we were too deaf to hear (software engineering is almost unrepresented by unions, lobby groups or anything else).
If you read former Indian prime minister Indira Ghandi's books on the subject, she clearly illustrates how the world economic structures are deliberately & heavily biased against third world countries being anything more than exploited for cheap labour and lower tax overheads. This is better known in the west as "free trade" rules. Wherever you see "GATT", "WTO" or "World Bank", read "keep the west rich and everyone else poor" agreements.
I think we are getting off topic on this list. Simo.