This Internet Chronicles vintage video hosted at the Internet Archive covers software development in India, including a focus offshore development.
Of course, the video has numerous shots of the stereotypical divide between hi-tech and more traditional Indian life.
According to the video, the earliest technical companies to establish operations in India:
- Texas Instruments
- Digital Equipment
- Bull Computer/Honeywell
Overall, not a list of companies with endurance.
Of interest, part of the video focuses on IBM’s pulling out of India after initially establishing operations there. Part of the reason for this was blamed on the fact that Unix was the most important focus of India’s tech industry.
The video also mentions something that I’ve blogged about before: that 70% of the Indian staff are engineers – traditional engineers, not software engineers. I continue to struggle with teams who are weak on systems analysis and software development methods for this reason, although I’m sure that the percentage of those with only a traditional engineering education is lower 20 years later.
I had to chuckle at the comment that one of the problems with working with staff in India is unreliable phone communications. I still experience that problem on offshore projects (although I suspect that it’s my team members choosing not to talk to me about certain topics…).
From the news:
- HP Deskjet printer for $1195
- National Education Association calls for a computer for each teacher by 1991.
- Researchers at Purdue have developed a program that teaches students about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
Internet Archive: Free Download: High Tech India – Part One
