The worldwide use of computers : a description of main trends

This paper examines some of the main findings from the IEA Computers in Education survey. The results show that with respect to the future of computers in education there is reason for optimism as well as for pessimism. The optimistic part of the story is that new technologies in the form of computers are nowadays available for many schools in most so-called developed countries, and that despite the complexity of this innovation educational practitioners and students are still very enthusiastic about this technology. The pessimistic part is that there is still much inequity of access to computers. Once computers are available they tend to be used most frequently as an add-on to the existing curriculum. It is probably this lack of integration of computers in existing curricula which is most challenging in determining our agenda for the future

Software houses: Changing from Product vendors into solution Providers

Integrating hitherto separate IT systems while keeping within with tight budgetary restrictions is becoming the dominant software trend in this decade. Optimism is currently starting to spread again in software houses. However, there are marked regional differences in potential. Contrary to some forecasts, the US software houses are in the process of consolidating their already dominant position in the global market thanks to their economies of scale, combined with the network effect. Conversely, the only chance for most of their typically small European competitors to score points is in certain niches of the market.system software, application software, CRM, ERP, SCM, Web services

Developing a distributed electronic health-record store for India

The DIGHT project is addressing the problem of building a scalable and highly available information store for the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) of the over one billion citizens of India

Post-Issue Patent "Quality Control": A Comparative Study of US Patent Re-examinations and European Patent Oppositions

We report the results of the first comparative study of the determinants and effects of patent oppositions in Europe and of re- examinations on corresponding patents issued in the United States. The analysis is based on a dataset consisting of matched EPO and US patents. Our analysis focuses on two broad technology categories - biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors and computer software. Within these fields, we collect data on all EPO patents for which oppositions were filed at the EPO. We also construct a random sample of EPO patents with no opposition in these technologies. We match these EPO patents with the “equivalent” US patents covering the same invention in the United States. Using the matched sample of USPTO and EPO patents, we compare the determinants of opposition and of reexamination. Our results indicate that valuable patents are more likely to be challenged in both jurisdictions. But the rate of opposition at the EPO is more than thirty times higher than the rate of reexamination at the USPTO.

The use of computers in education worldwide : results from a comparative survey in 18 countries

In 1989, the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Computers in Education study collected data on computer use in elementary, and lower- and upper-secondary education in 22 countries. Although all data sets from the participating countries had not been received at the time of writing, this paper provides some preliminary results from 19 educational systems in 18 countries. Countries participating in the study include Belgium (Flemish and French school systems), Canada (British Columbia), China, France, West Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the United States. The paper shows statistics related to: (1) the availability and the use of computer hardware, software, and peripherals; (2) the problems experienced in using computers in schools; and (3) the attitudes of administrators towards computers. The results show that drastic changes have taken place in the last few years in the number of schools equipped with computers, and the number of computers available in schools. It is noted that in most educational systems microcomputers are used by a limited number of teachers, and are used mainly for teaching students about computers. Major problems that appeared included a lack of teacher preparation time, the lack of sufficient computer software of high quality, and a lack of teacher education and training. It is suggested that the creation of short- and long-term implementation strategies could facilitate the integration of computers into existing subjects. (5 references) (DB

Structural Characteristic of the German-English Hybrids of the Information Security Sphere

The article describes the results of structural analysis of the German-English hybrid terms of the information security sphere. The obtained data testify to the serious impact of the English influence on German primarily in the peripheral sphere of the German language stock. The hybridity is stated as a result of aggregation of the literary German lexical system and language mixing owning to an invasive borrowing process