Intel, world’s largest microchip maker, has been sued by the New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo for using coercion and bribery over other companies. In order to remain dominant in the world’s market and at the same time, squeeze the existence of its rival Advanced Micro Devices, ADM. This lawsuit has also been followed by a record fine for anti-competitive behavior by the European Commission.

After twenty months of thorough investigation it was finally proved how Brands such as Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM agreed to choose Intel microprocessors over any other company simply because it offered rebates.

“In Intel’s market, there were no laws of supply and demand,” said Cuomo. “Instead, it was the law of ‘my way or the highway’.”

ADM had presented its complaints in front of the Attorney General, Intel had also been paying Incentives so that manufacturers preferred its Chips rather than using any other company’s, thus awarding Intel 70% of the worlds market. If customers marketed any other products using chips from ADM then Intel instantly withdrew its product.  ADM had been accusing Intel from quite some time now thus accusing Intel of its illegal practices with the motive of squeezing it out of the market.

“Rather than compete fairly, Intel used bribery and coercion to maintain a stranglehold on the market,” said New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, in a statement. “Intel’s actions not only unfairly restricted potential competitors, but also hurt average consumers who were robbed of better products and lower prices. These illegal tactics must stop and competition must be restored to this vital marketplace.”

On the other hand, Intel refused to comment on the New York state lawsuit, but at the same time has vigorously defended its practices claiming the fact that offering rebates has been beneficial for the consumers as it lowered the original prices.  Intel is also appealing the European Union antitrust ruling.

While Windows 7 makes its mark on the worlds market, IBM and Canonical announced their collaboration in order to target windows 7 customers from all over the world. Their cloud- and Linux-based collaboration package turns out to be cheaper than Microsoft-based alternatives.

The IBM Client, based on IBM productivity and collaboration software, helps organizations save up to 50 percent per seat on software costs,as compared to the expensive nature of Microsoft-based desktop. This is not it, it also provides its clients with facilities for avoiding requisite hardware upgrades. The package allows companies to use their existing PCs, lower-cost netbooks and thin clients. It includes Lotus Notes and other Lotus applications such as Symphony and LotusLive.com, an online collaboration suite which lets distributed groups manage activities and tasks, share documents, network, and hold Web meetings with up to 1,000 participants. The companies say that since the package is based on Eclipse, Linux and Web standards, it can integrate with “any” third-party software.

The press release claims that Microsoft shops considering a Windows 7 migration face costs of up to $2,000 for many users, owing in part to added hardware requirements for Microsoft’s new operating system. But IBM and Canonical sates that their package can be easily utilized on PC’s which are currently being utilized by organizations. This package will also run on low-cost client machines and even netbooks. IBM is also offering professional services from IBM Global Technology Services and IBM Business Partners in order to aid with installation and other integration tasks to their clients.

World’s Second Generation of computers set the stage for the first in Pakistan. It was in 1967, when Pakistan had its first computer installed in Pakistan International Airline, PIA. “PIA made history yet again, by installing Pakistan’s first computer, an IBM1401, in 1967” PIA

Wait, was it 1967 or 1964? Good question.

IBM1401 was installed by PIA for flight reservations. While we were researching on the exact date we found that it was IBM1401 in 1967 (on the official PIA website as quoted above). When finally, after repeatedly calling PIA office, we were able to get hold of PIA’s IT Director Shahid Serwar, after which our confusion took a new turn. He enlightened us further and said that the first computer installed in Pakistan was IBM1401 in 1964 and later in 1971-72 PIA started using IBM 360. PIA’s website quotes 1967, IT Director said IBM 1401 in 1964.

Is this confusion, or maybe a misunderstanding or simply an illusion? Well our research, as far as we know, is authentic, but where did PIA go wrong with the “obsolete computer’s” date. Well all we can say is that it was one good experience.

PIA’s Website and IT Director contradict each other; the only thing which seems authentic over here is IBM 1401, and the fact that PIA is completely computerized.

Since then, (when? 1964/1967, we really don’t know) the continuous advancement in every sector has been taking place and today in 2009 Pakistan is completely digital. Correction! Not completely but we can say “semi-completely”. Semi-completely is not a new or vague term. We are used to it now.

For some more adventure we found our next target. Asif Javed Qureshi, Dy. Managing Director (F, A & R) Water and Sanitation Agency, WASA.  Now WASA is a semi-computerized Government Organization. With Oracle embedded in its immune system only the billing section has been automated so far. It was Systems Limited, the first software house in Pakistan, which caught hold of it in 1979. WASA went through many transformations and in 1996 finally it was automated with an in-house billing department which is still under ‘severe’ construction, which is expected to remain that way for some more time, (from what we observed as there were a few computers in the billing section and an empty room which was under construction). We have our hopes high since we were told that WASA will be fully automated by the end of this year.

What inspired us the most was a comment given by an Army Officer. While interviewing him, CodeWeek came to know that, computerization in Pakistan Army started in 1980s with the establishment of CI Directorate under the General Headquarters (GHQ). At that time only a few senior officers were provided with computers for their office work. Later in 1990s Pakistan Armed Forces decided to computerize their entire departments. By 1994, typewriters from every unit were completely removed and CI Directorate was transformed into C⁴I² Directorate with Lt. Gen Malik Arif Hayat as its Director General.

C⁴I² Directorate is entirely responsible for planning and controlling of all the computer system.  Pakistan Army Army Data Network (ADN) has connected in all the areas except for the border. Communication between all the sections of Pakistan Army occurs through ADN. The paper culture has been completely replaced by the digital one. A massive program for the training and awareness of army officers is being conducted so that each and every individual belonging to Pakistan army transforms into a computer literate.

While we were searching for our next target we found out that  a few days back it was reported in the Dailytimes Newspaper that the first hospital to go ‘digital’ or as Dailytimes quoted it as “completely paperless” was Indus Hospital in Karachi. The hospital has computerized all its medical and administrative records. CEO of the Indus Hospital, Dr Abdul Bari Khan said that the hospital is now providing efficient services through highly experienced specialists using modern equipment and technique.

All these organizations, completely or semi-completely automated, have made an attempt to develop their infrastructure, thus developing Pakistan on the whole.  It is through there continuous efforts, their training and awareness programs that they have competent employees. Pakistan is a developing nation and continues to develop, and  time is not far away when Pakistan will transform into a country where each and every organization is completely computerized.