CeBIT 2008: What you missed

See what you missed at CeBIT 2008 in our round-up featuring NICTA, the CSIRO, Google, the OLPC XO, Netgear and a whole lot of technology.

Highlights included Stephen Conroy, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, saying a significant number of Australian households see the internet as important as power and gas. He also reiterated Labor's commitment to ISP filtering.

David Skellern, CEO of NICTA, said that Labor's plans to axe the AU$707 million Commercial Ready scheme will hurt Australian innovation. NICTA also showed off its 5Gbps wireless chip.

Other highlights included analyst firm S2's Bruce McCabe saying green tech is a gold mine, and Labor Senator Kate Lundy saying the government needs to look more seriously at open source.

Former Privacy Commissioner Malcolm Crompton added that the Australian government is hamstrung by privacy and liability when it comes to attracting citizens to use e-government services.

If you attended CeBIT this year, let us know if you loved or loathed it in our quick poll.