Dr Gatt was speaking during the National Information Society Advisory Council seminar on Open Source Software at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta yesterday.

“There are so many changes in the future of IT that we never quite know what is around the corner and the reality of it is that we have to adapt,” he said.

ICT was not about operations and rigid systems, said the minister.

It was about the modern reality and choosing the best solutions.

He said it was government’s aim to ensure that Malta found the best possible solutions to fit in with modern realities and to improve people’s quality of life.

In conclusion, Dr Gatt said: “The advances in technology come so quickly that it is better to have an open stance and adapt, rather than follow strict doctrines that do not allow flexibility.”

The council is composed of members from a very wide circle of the business sector, and others, to brainstorm and analyse issues related to ICT.