Israel Beyond the Conflict

[ISRAEL21c]

For a refreshing look at what is happening inside Israel BEYOND all the headlines of conflict and violence, there is a terrific website I recommend:

Israel21c

[cerulean]

This is also a great example of a puff piece for Sun Microsystems (good PR work on the part of Sun).

In short, Israel proportionately has a very high number of Java developers and Sun is moving to capitalize on this.

http://www.jpost.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/BusinessFull&cid=1023716451669

[ISRAEL21c]

Thanks, this is a great article. Did you see the ISRAEL21c piece on drip irrigation technology? I don't think most Americans realize what a profound effect Israeli technology innovation has on life in the US.

[cerulean]

Israel21C - that link did not work for some reason, but I think you meant this article.

http://www.israel21c.com/bin/en.jsp?enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enDispWho=Articles%5El139&enZone=technology&enVersion=0&

[ISRAEL21c]

I think that there is a limit to the number of characters set for pasting into the field.

[Vic]

Originally posted by cerulean
This is also a great example of a puff piece for Sun Microsystems (good PR work on the part of Sun).

In short, Israel proportionately has a very high number of Java developers and Sun is moving to capitalize on this.

http://www.jpost.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=JPost/A/JPArticle/BusinessFull&cid=1023716451669
:confused: Isn't Java supposed to be a programming language whose glory days are past? Same goes for related Sun technologies. The Jerusalem Post article on this point sounds like a marketing text from Sun. But then, if getting a MOUS certificate is considered a staggering accomplishment worth being reported world-wide...

[cerulean]

Originally posted by Vic
:confused: Isn't Java supposed to be a programming language whose glory days are past?


Is that the prevailing view in Europe? I don't think people are quite as dismal about it here. I suppose it's only realistic to assume Microsoft .NET will win out, though.


Same goes for related Sun technologies. The Jerusalem Post article on this point sounds like a marketing text from Sun. But then, if getting a MOUS certificate is considered a staggering accomplishment worth being reported world-wide...

Yes, it's definitely straight from Sun. A perfect example of why good PR is so important :-).

One advantage Israeli firms have, even if it's not the ideal one, is the low exchange rate between the shekel and the US dollar. Just like some firms outsource development to Indian because of lower labor costs, it can make sense to outsource development to Israel.

[cerulean]

Perhaps these will stimulate investment.

http://www.thestreet.com/tech/themarker/10026756.html

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Also, these look like some interesting Israeli business-related links:

http://www.business2.com/webguide/0,1660,8564,00.html

[cerulean]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/25742.html

Microsoft's Mac Hebrew snub prompts Israeli AntiTrust complaint
By Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco
Posted: 17/06/2002 at 07:20 GMT

Microsoft's refusal to provide Hebrew support in its Macintosh Internet Explorer browser or Office suite has prompted a complaint to Israel's antitrust department.
...
It's a reminder of how much market power a monopolist holds in shaping a culture. Microsoft's Hebrew support in Windows is considered excellent - and there's no question that they'd be endangering the cultural heritage by refusing to support Hebrew on the Mac. But it does ensure Hebrew speakers buy Windows. That's thing about globalization - every part of the world ends up looking the same … or at least, using the same system software.
One world, and one OS to type on?
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I should point out that article points out that this problem is not not restricted to the Hebrew language, but also affects Arabic, Korean, and Russian.

I just checked what StarOffice supports - it looks like it supports most major European languages in Latin script, plus Russian.

[cerulean]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/39/25793.html
An update to the above article. Now there is a call for a worldwide user campaign to get Hebrew (and other languages) support for the Mac.

[Vic]

Originally posted by cerulean
Is that the prevailing view in Europe? I don't think people are quite as dismal about it here. I suppose it's only realistic to assume Microsoft .NET will win out, though.I don't know about "prevailing", but in my own experience the better the programmer/computer scientist the worse the opinion on Sun's technologies. Not only in Europe.

One advantage Israeli firms have, even if it's not the ideal one, is the low exchange rate between the shekel and the US dollar. Just like some firms outsource development to Indian because of lower labor costs, it can make sense to outsource development to Israel. Which means that a rise of the shekel rate, generally a positive sign, could have far-reaching negative consequences - making Israel a sort of Third World economy, making employment in the US and other countries with strong currencies more attractive to qualified Israelis, creating a "brain drain" etc. ...

[cerulean]

I don't know about "prevailing", but in my own experience the better the programmer/computer scientist the worse the opinion on Sun's technologies. Not only in Europe.

In the past week or so, I have asked several people and did not get quite as strong an anti-Java statement as you have here, but I did find a consensus (more or less) that it is becoming less significant. I did not ask anyone who is currently working as a Java developer, though, and in the past those I have known tended to be enthusiasts.



Which means that a rise of the shekel rate, generally a positive sign, could have far-reaching negative consequences - making Israel a sort of Third World economy, making employment in the US and other countries with strong currencies more attractive to qualified Israelis, creating a "brain drain" etc. ...

Indeed. So what is the solution? Of course this is not just Israel's problem, but that of many countries in the global economy.