Xref: utzoo comp.misc:2097 can.jobs:202
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!linus!philabs!micomvax!ray
From: ray@micomvax.UUCP (Ray Dunn)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,can.jobs
Subject: Re: Software Industry in Canada -- general remarks and questions
Message-ID: <935@micomvax.UUCP>
Date: 10 Mar 88 16:00:05 GMT
References: <5358@watdragon.waterloo.edu>
Reply-To: ray@micomvax.UUCP (Ray Dunn)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Philips Electronics Ltd. (TDS - Montreal) St. Laurent P.Q., Canada
Lines: 48

In article <5358@watdragon.waterloo.edu> kmgopinathan@violet.waterloo.edu (Krishna Gopinathan) writes:
>With regard to the current discussion in ont.jobs about job hunting in
>Canada (started by a software engineer from the US moving to Canada),
>I would like to pose some questions (ok, I agree this should go in the
>yet-to-be-created comp.industry for those of you who object to reading
>this in comp.misc)

>I was under the impression that *very* little software development goes
>on in Canada ( :^) Canada exports lumber and imports high-tech. :-) ) though
>I would agree that much of what does go on occurs in Toronto.

>I would appreciate hearing from you -- opinions as well as facts welcome.
>
>-- Krishna


Unfortunately I haven't time to give this the full answer it deserves,
however, in case no-one else disputes the point, I would like to say that
Toronto is probably NOT the epi-centre of hi-tech software development in
Canada.  This I would suggest, is probably Ottawa and area (Canada's Silicon
Valley).

I do *NOT* want to turn this into a city X is better than city Y argument
(who cares).

In addition to Ottawa, and, I presume much in the west and on the west
coast, there is *lots* going on here in Montreal.  My company is the largest
developer and manufacturer of IBM PC clones in Canada, and is a major player
in office automation systems.

Other examples here in Montreal - 

Matrox, just up the road, is a major developer of hi-tech graphics systems
and has just won a large multi-million dollar order from the US Army;  Bell
Northern has major R & D facilities;  the developer of LOGO compilers to
most of the well known systems;  there are at least 2 other IBM clone
companies, and many small start-up companies with hi-tech, software
intensive products;  CAE, a world leader in Aircraft, Nuclear power station,
and other simulation systems, all software controlled;  AES, office
automation, renowned as being the first company producing word processing
systems; etc. etc.

The above is a partial list of companies whose *product* is software based,
missing from the list are the *many* DP installations and software
development work being done to support the business world, civil
engineering, aircraft manufacturing and etc, here in Montreal!

Ray Dunn.  ..{philabs, mnetor, musocs}!micomvax!ray