[WSIS CS-Plenary] Collaboration software debate

[Federico Heinz]

On Tue, 2005-04-12 at 21:43 -0500, Taran Rampersad wrote:
> [lots of stuff about "rapid prototyping" and "requirements"]

All of this is irrelevant to my point that conferencing tools may be
"cool" but hardly necessary, and in fact preclude the participation of
people without broadband access and fast computers. If people want to
play with fancy expensive toys, by all means, go ahead and do it. Just
don't move part of the debate to it, because you are preventing others
from participating.

> Like it or not, we have to get things done despite agendas. While some
> are busy being uncompromising - on both sides - the problems aren't
> being solved.

Exactly which *problem* is not being solved? Where is the *need*?

The Internet itself was built with text-based communications. The whole
body of free software was built using not more than text-based
communications. Is what we are attempting to do here so much more
complex that it can't be done in a well-tested, time-proven way that is
much more widely available than the proposed alternative?

I understand the WGIG used this kind of tools, and had several
face-to-face meetings... and nonetheless the quality of its output was
miserable.

Technology should be used wherever there is a concrete problem that it
can help solve. I still don't see any problem in need of a technological
solution here.

	Fede
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