Having lived for six years in Russia, and five years in Silicon Valley, I feel somewhat qualified to opine.
There is a HUGE factor lacking in Siberia: Rule of Law.
A hard working programmer or IC designer can expect to have his work (IP) *stolen* within one month of publication or commercialization.
Russia does not observe copyright or patent law.
Yes, they have a lot of highly intelligent people. I married one. Yes, they have some buildings and power stations. Unfortunately, it's not enough to build a strong information economy.
Russia will eventually bring Rule of Law to their economy - out of necessity - but it won't be soon.
Ydacha!
"Free Trade" means the liberty to compete. The fact is that India successfully competed for millions of dollars in software development, starting with "year 2000" work. They took on more sophisticated projects, including not just coding but project design. If India loses the cost advantage of coding, they must find a new way to compete. Publishing packaged software, for example, might be a good direction for thousands of trained programmers and project managers.
I worked with a programming house in Russia. We were out-competed by Indian companies for web desgin. Our company converted to game development, and those programmers are still gainfully employed to this day.
Believe me, I've been on both sides of the equation. The important thing is to understand your market, and if your skills become unmarketable, you must make a change. No, it's not easy, but that's life.
I'm not crying for India's IT community - they will find a way to compete and survive.
Comparing the FBI to Chechnya is a bit of a stretch. Last I checked, the official position is that Chechnya is part of Russia. Tactics used in your civil war (mass killing, rape, torture, etc.) don't have much to do with law enforcement in the USA.
Russians broke the law in the USA, and came were arrested in the USA. Yes, they were victems of a "sting" - does anyone rational really feel sorry for them? I say the same thing about the American who was arrested yesterday in Russia for narcotics trafficing. He should stand trial in Russia, and pay the price if found guilty.
While the US is not perfect, we do have procedures for law enforcement, and we can guarantee a fair trial for the young Russians. Can you really say that we could expect any cooperation from local Russian authorities ???
Dorogoi Ektanoor -
Before criticizing the methods of the FBI, and the US system of laws, it is important to agree on the premise that the Russians committed a crime. If you do not consider hacking web sites and taking credit card information a crime, then you will never agree with any enforcement taken against such actions.
If hacking and stealing from US companies is not a crime, then Russian authorities should not help US law enforcement. The FBI should not lure the hackers to a place where they can make an arrest. Everyone should just happily hack away at the fat Americans, right?
Our company works with Russian programming houses. One of the biggest obstacles we face in building business is the reputation of Russia as a country which does not respect international law and intellectual property rights.
How will Russia use its vast intellectual power to make life better for its people? There are only so many ways to steal other peoples' work.
Russia may play by the international rules and find its place in the international community, or else follow a course of isolationism which will relagate the country to a second-tier status and development.
Chem podnimatsa?
Slashdot Mirror
NBC will provide alternative means to pay for and download your shows. Expect a M$-based solution, which will provide the DRC they're looking for.
Having lived for six years in Russia, and five years in Silicon Valley, I feel somewhat qualified to opine. There is a HUGE factor lacking in Siberia: Rule of Law. A hard working programmer or IC designer can expect to have his work (IP) *stolen* within one month of publication or commercialization. Russia does not observe copyright or patent law. Yes, they have a lot of highly intelligent people. I married one. Yes, they have some buildings and power stations. Unfortunately, it's not enough to build a strong information economy. Russia will eventually bring Rule of Law to their economy - out of necessity - but it won't be soon. Ydacha!
"Free Trade" means the liberty to compete. The fact is that India successfully competed for millions of dollars in software development, starting with "year 2000" work. They took on more sophisticated projects, including not just coding but project design. If India loses the cost advantage of coding, they must find a new way to compete. Publishing packaged software, for example, might be a good direction for thousands of trained programmers and project managers. I worked with a programming house in Russia. We were out-competed by Indian companies for web desgin. Our company converted to game development, and those programmers are still gainfully employed to this day. Believe me, I've been on both sides of the equation. The important thing is to understand your market, and if your skills become unmarketable, you must make a change. No, it's not easy, but that's life. I'm not crying for India's IT community - they will find a way to compete and survive.
Comparing the FBI to Chechnya is a bit of a stretch. Last I checked, the official position is that Chechnya is part of Russia. Tactics used in your civil war (mass killing, rape, torture, etc.) don't have much to do with law enforcement in the USA. Russians broke the law in the USA, and came were arrested in the USA. Yes, they were victems of a "sting" - does anyone rational really feel sorry for them? I say the same thing about the American who was arrested yesterday in Russia for narcotics trafficing. He should stand trial in Russia, and pay the price if found guilty. While the US is not perfect, we do have procedures for law enforcement, and we can guarantee a fair trial for the young Russians. Can you really say that we could expect any cooperation from local Russian authorities ???
I do speak Russian, but I wouldn't use the vocabulary used by Ektanoor to make a point.
Dorogoi Ektanoor - Before criticizing the methods of the FBI, and the US system of laws, it is important to agree on the premise that the Russians committed a crime. If you do not consider hacking web sites and taking credit card information a crime, then you will never agree with any enforcement taken against such actions. If hacking and stealing from US companies is not a crime, then Russian authorities should not help US law enforcement. The FBI should not lure the hackers to a place where they can make an arrest. Everyone should just happily hack away at the fat Americans, right? Our company works with Russian programming houses. One of the biggest obstacles we face in building business is the reputation of Russia as a country which does not respect international law and intellectual property rights. How will Russia use its vast intellectual power to make life better for its people? There are only so many ways to steal other peoples' work. Russia may play by the international rules and find its place in the international community, or else follow a course of isolationism which will relagate the country to a second-tier status and development. Chem podnimatsa?