back to article Australia launches digital blueprint

Australia is gunning to be ranked in the top five OECD countries by 2020 for broadband connections to the home and for the number of businesses using online opportunities as part of the Government's freshly launched National Digital Economy Strategy. Australia currently ranks 18th in OECD broadband connection rankings with 23. …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Graham Wilson
    Unhappy

    I'm pro the NBN but it'll take much more than that.

    Over the past 50 or so years, Australia's closed down all forms of hi tech and electronic manufacturing--Si chips, TV set manufacture etc. etc. to the point where there's stuff-all technical infrastructure left.

    Australia is a service economy dependent on China/Asia's manufacturing and has been so for years. It's full of people who have difficulty figuring the correct way the battery polarity goes in their mobile phones.

    Tragically, Australia is so far behind that it'd take a miracle or an all-out war to get it moving again (as it did in WWII), but that's clearly an unacceptable option.

    Simply, the country no longer has either a technical or intellectual ethos. I can assure you that any technical or scientific person who's left stranded here will get pretty lonely.

    1. andro
      Happy

      plenty of tech is Aus

      I partly agree, partly disagree. Things change, but the IT, telecomunications and engineering sectors are huge, and there are a lot of skilled professionals working with and around technology.

      True our manufacturing is gone, and that is because we wont work for penuts and consumers everywhere are not prepared to pay more for what they see as the same product (wether it is the same product is up for debate, but thats how the majority look at it when they reach for their wallet).

      We are not behind, and the NBN should keep us up there. Im sitting here in Australia, reading the reg, writing software and waiting for the NBN to hook up me and Im definitely not alone and not leaving the country.

    2. LaeMing
      Unhappy

      Sad but true

      The average top-line-university undergrad here has trouble putting equipment back into a vacuformed contoured case the right way around!

      It makes me sad.

      1. Denarius
        Unhappy

        it is worse

        but they can suck 4GB of VM out of a server to run a java "hello world" in seconds. If you ask about skills in C or real unices used in enterprises the crickets chirp. Have to admire the ANU though. Still produce the occasional clued IT graduate fortunately.

        The sad bit is the PHBs have sucked the fun out of IT because one cant walk into the server room and build the server physically, fire it up and load the OS from the console any more. if the remote console fails because the network provider has broken it again, one is stuffed. (no it's not Telstra) Writing up a build sheet for a monkey see, "monkey might do" low paid drone to do hundreds of Km away just is not the same.

        <off topic>I like the new icons </off topic>

  2. John Tserkezis

    Australia is gunning to be ranked in the top five.... for broadband connections to the home

    Only because the NBN will be your ONLY option to get ANY type of communication to your home.

    Our average age is increasing, and since pensioners have no interest in the internet whatsoever, a phone connection (with suitable adaptor) will be the ONLY "broadband" they'll be getting.

    Nice for numbers that.

    1. Ray Foulkes
      Flame

      "since pensioners have no interest in the internet whatsoever"

      Cheeky devil, I am a uk pensioner and have been doing computing before you were thought of. I have Windows, Linux(es) 100Mb/second network, firewall, run dns, provide high speed backup for neighbours etc. etc. here at home. Either you euthanize all your techie pensioners down under or you move in the wrong circles.

      1. Denarius
        Facepalm

        @RayTut tut, not quite

        The biggest and earliest adopters of video and broadband technologies in Oz are retirees. They like to see pictures of the grandkids who are often resident all over this large island continent.

        I doubt few pensioners anywhere have that much infrastructure kit, but good show to anyone who can be bothered.

        Even in my humble circumstances, with children overseas for some years we used Skype over broadband to exchange pictures and movies of the grandchildren.

        For that matter, the pilots I know have lots of gadgets that tell them where they are and where they have been. Most of them are not in the first flush of youth.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      yeah...

      "Only because the NBN will be your ONLY option to get ANY type of communication to your home."

      Sort of like how the ONLY option to get ANY type of communication to your home is to use the Telstra copper network now?

      "since pensioners have no interest in the internet whatsoever"

      I assume you have a source to back up this claim?

      "a phone connection (with suitable adaptor) will be the ONLY "broadband" they'll be getting"

      What? You are not making much sense here, the NBN NTU comes standard with two phone sockets, why would an adaptor be needed? If they are just using dial-up they can continue using that if they wish.

      "Nice for numbers that."

      Let me guess, you are from a filthy poor country and are jealous & bitter because Australians will be enjoying stunning speeds on our future proof network while your country is getting left behind in the dust thanks to the great foresight we have. Haters gonna hate.

  3. Neoc
    Meh

    Jocks Vs Propeller

    A big reason for that is while we have sport "heroes" coming out of our ears, we have no equivalent to the Silicon Valley "heroes". In other words, we are turning into a country where Sport and Entertainment rule and if your idea of a good time isn't sitting on a stool at the pub drinking a beer while discussing the latest football/cricket/car-race/reality-show then there's something wrong with you.

    Just for the record - Beer (and wine, alas) tastes like vinegar to me, and I don't give a damn about any of the above entertainments (I'll take a documentary about Reality over a Reality Show any day).

    I don't mind a good distilled drop, though.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    God its depressing

    And its infectious, I couldn't even read this article. I keep on reading CeBit as Cesspit

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like