Instead of writing a cogent analysis of the big IT news for this column, this week we gave serious consideration to simply listing a few of the best Computing leader articles from the past 10 or 20 years.
After all, if you have been in IT for any period of time, you will have heard it all before.
In the past week, we have seen spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) issue scathing criticism of a major public sector IT project that has been endlessly delayed, run over budget, and has failed the people it sought to serve.
For farmers this week, you can substitute tax credit recipients, passport applicants, child support beneficiaries, or any of the other disastrous projects on which Computing has passed comment.
You have to give credit to the NAO for coming up with a new set of adjectives to describe the latest shambles the office thesaurus must be well thumbed by now.
Also this week, we have The Most Important Microsoft Product Launch Ever, for what must be the 58th time.
Windows 7 hits the streets today, accompanied no doubt by not-at-all PR-organised midnight queues outside leading retailers made up of the non-Apple technorati apparently desperate to usher a new version of Notepad into their lives.
No one is underestimating the need for Windows 7 to be a success for Microsoft or, for that matter, for all the PC suppliers struggling with the enormous recessionary slump in their market but, well, doesn’t it feel like we have been here before?
Instead, let’s imagine some possible headlines a few years from now after all, IT is meant to be all about the future.
Can you see, one day: “Microsoft scraps plans for Windows 9 announces new Windows Lite for on-the-move cloud users”?
How about: “Citizens ready to download latest public services pack from gov.app.store”?
If we’re fed up with the same old headlines, you must be too. If the future is bright, let’s also hope it is different.
