A Life in Beta

It has been a very interesting January for those of us interested in Government and IT Transformation. Among other things we’ve enjoyed:

• the long overdue, much heralded and immediately useful launch of www.data.gov.uk
• the annual Gov Barcamp (which I did not attend but have enjoyed following from afar)
• Prospect Magazine leading with a story about Tim Berners-Lee’s “web revolution” at the heart of Whitehall
• Lots of commentary on the Government’s £3.2bn cost saving ICT Strategy

But before I got too excited, my good friend Lee Hopkins sent me this little snippet from yesterday’s Guardian as a reminder that when it comes to technology and transformation the key word in Government is evolution not revolution. Still – I thought it was almost charming….

“Smith admitted that the government had not always been quick to embrace new technology. “Back in 1885, the civil service bought its first-ever typewriter, despite stiff resistance from in-house calligraphers. About 20 years later the government took another leap into the unknown when it invested in its first telephone, a mere three decades after the technology was first demonstrated.”

(Angela Smith Cabinet Office Minister – Guardian 28/01/10)

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