2007 was undoubtedly the year of Social Networking, but what of 2008? Will '08 be the year of "Unified Communications" or the year when CMS comes to stand for "Community Management System" - or even "Collaboration Management System"? Or will it be the year of the giga-merger, to beat the mere mega-mergers of 2007?

At the end of each year, SYS-CON informally polls its globe-girdling network of software developers, industry executives, commentators, investors, writers, and editors. As always, the range and depth of their answers is fascinating, throwing light not just on where the industry is going but also how it's going to get there, why, because of who, and within what kind of time-scale. Enjoy!

• i-Technology Predictions for 2009