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Linux at Spring Comdex
SEWilco has comprehensive report from the Spring Comdex show in Chicago. Good listing - show was smaller, but I think there was still some good exhibits put on there. Click thru to read more- you can also read the final report that Newsforge has.
"At Spring Comdex in Chicago, Linux was scattered around the exhibit floor in addition to the cluster under the Linux pennant. There were quite a few embedded and handheld Linux items in addition to the expected Linux software booths.
- Identifiable small Linux things:
- The Agenda PDA had high visibility.
- In the Korean booths, HNT was showing several tiny Linux machines in their Exilien line, using Linuette from MIZI. I won't call these multimedia devices a PDA.
- Hacker & Packers had Linux inside their web pad design.
- Up front, Century Software was showing their embeddable Linux on some Compaq iPaq handhelds, although their WebMedia (not yet on their web page) is aimed at larger appliance-sized devices.
- Milletech was showing a WinCE or Linux webpad prototype.
- Tuxia was tucked in the NEC area with their settop/webpad/thin client software.
- Lineo featured tiny boxes, although their line ranges up to high-capacity clusters.
- The assorted Linux items that caught my eye:
- Appgen was showing their personal-to-Fortune range of accounting applications.
- ACCPAC has some of their accounting modules on RedHat.
- FreeDesk.com was showing their collection of web/Java based services and applications.
- Equinox was showing the Linux label due to Linux support for their multiport serial/modem line.
- Linux support in the distributed machine control system *this, which is generalizing proprietary industrial control equipment.
- Starnet X-Win32 helps an unstable desktop access your stable server windows.
- neTRAVERSE was running MS-Windows 95/98 apps within Linux.
- A GeekCruises.com brochure for a Fall Linux Lunacy cruise was floating about.
In addition to Linux Magazine, Linux Journal, and Embedded Linux Journal, Pen Computing magazine chose to feature the Agenda on their cover.
The overall Comdex exhibit area seemed smaller than two years ago, with Waste Expo taking the south hall this year. But maybe the way the space between the three buildings was arranged was deceptive."
There's another decent recap of the show care of a poster on the LUNI list.
BTW, was Micro$haft really not there, or were they off in their own wing (I hit the show yesterday)?
It's Extreme Programming this week.
I think it should be noted that the most popular booth(that was normal size, and didn't have a pair of blond babes) was the one from www.xgaming.com(1-866-XGAMING) with there 3d glasses that you use with a normal monitor. People were standing 8 deep just to try for 5 seconds...and while I was trying them on 3 people around me bought them. All I can say is I want a pair, just don't have the $100 they wanted for them. systemaster PS yes it sounds like i work for them, no i don't, the glasses are just F#$% cool, just TRY them.
If you have attended Spring Comdex - Chicago in the past, you will realize the show has significantly shrunk in size and number of exhibitors. This year was the worst yet with many key technology companies not bothering to exhibit. This was the first year Microsoft had no presence at the show. Making the yearly 6 hour drive from Minneapolis to Chicago used to be well worth it for the Comdex show, but I don't think I will be attending next year.
I can think of a few reasons for the decline:
1. They let anyone in. Exhibitors are there to show off their products to other businesses and potential customers. The last few years I see alot of people in jeans walking around collecting free tshirts and mouse pads. It's not worth the expense for companies to exhibit to people that are just looking for "free trinkets"
2. Lets face it, the weather in Chicago in early April is not great. Spring doesn't really get to the midwest until mid-May.
3. The idea of the overall computer show is outdated. I think companies are more likely to exhibit at shows that more specificly target the areas of technology they represent.
4. I've heard that the union labor at McCormick is very corrupt. Evidently the exhibitors have to bribe the union help just to get their booths set up and wired for power. It's not worth the hassle for alot of companies to pay off the union workers.
The first year I went to Comdex, I was quite impressed with both sides of the story (MS and Open Source). While the linux and *BSD sides were woefully underepresented, I thought those that were there (WalnutCreek, RedHat, Linux Journal) did a good job of providing information to curious onlookers as well as those with a clue. People actually had the time and desire to talk about where we were and where we were going...
That was the first year (about 4 years ago)
Fast forward a couple of years.
Now there's a seperate Windows Pavillion and the "everyone else" pavillion. Now the linux booths are packed to the gills with people scrambling for the latest full color glossy sales brochure or, good god, a free yo-yo? Add this to the intrinsic value of a clueless sales rep and you have a veritable orgy of dorks looking for the latest mindless crap and sales pitch instead of a serious presentation of new products and technology.
Where the hell is the technical value of that?
You mean the Red Hat folks weren't buying rounds?
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Breakfast served all day!
Lucent's stock price pretty soon? :-)
i love linux confrences.... WOO GOO!!!
To err is human, to really screw things up, you need a robot.
What license is it published under? I can't seem to find any mention of licensing on their website.
Excellent editor though.
-Vic
starts his own cult, MicroSoftentology
:) Someday when they're consigned to the lunatic fringe and screen actors, rabidly persecuting copyright violations, unflattering news groups and unauthorized auctions of BG-o'meters. Cost of training to become a level III operating XP user: $15,000.
That's an enjoyable thought
try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
as I don't see how talking about COMDEX in a topic on COMDEX is off topic.
later, thermo
The Chicago Tribune has been running articles all week on the decline of Spring Comdex. An article Wednesday (which they have already taken down from there Web site) gives some interesting numbers:
s ts /rose/article/0,1122,ART-50958,00.html
1) A 12% drop in attendance.
2) 350 vendors as opposed to 500 last year.
3) The show space is now in one hall instead of two.
I went there Tuesday afternoon and I also notice the big vendors such as Red Hat, IBM and Microsoft were absent. There was also a distinct lack of goodies. A lot of brochures and magazines but no T-Shirts (except for American Express) and other fun gadgets. I didn't think much of it until I saw the people leaving the "Waste Expo" across the hall with several back of t-shirts, hats, yo-yos, foam rubber balls and other goodies.
One thing the article doesn't mention is that most of the function of Comdex is now available on the web. Most companies put brochures and product information online so there is little need to get these are show.
In spite of the cancellation of the "Linux Business Expo", there was still some good things going on in the Linux field. Caldera had a free training booth; There were several companies making application for Linux based PDAs including a pretty good version of "Doom II" for the iPaq.
The guys at "The Linux Show" manage to scrape up enough money to play "Red Planet" at "Dave and Busters" that night. For those who haven't played it, "Red Planet" is similar to the pod races in "The Phantom Menace". You score points by making the most laps in the 10 minutes. I hadn't played this game since the last Comdex, so it took a while to get the hang of it. I finished near the bottom in the first few games but caught on quick and finished the last game (at about midnight) in first place.
In between matches, I talked with several current and former members of the FSF. I surprised me that on of the current problems is the licensing of documentation. The current licenses of the Linux Documentation Project is making it difficult to publish books based on LPD material.
Below is another link in the Chicago Tribune that discusses the decline of Spring Comdex.
http://www.chicago.tribune.com/business/columni
In a world that is Free and Open, who needs Windows and Gates?
Sounds like it was alot more interesting than the Comdex here in Vancouver BC. Every year Comdex comes to town and every year it sucks more and more, with less interesting exhibitors and less of them. I always go hoping it will "be better this year", but it never is. This year took it took us 20 minutes to check out the whole floor. Good thing we had free passes (everyone does... "a $50 value!")
Unfortunately, the mistakes were all in the text from the editor. The editor needs editors.
SEWilco wishes to disclaim responsibility for the phrasing which was prepended to his carefully polished report.
Hmmmm
The last expo I went to was the Linux World Expo in NYC.
I figured the reason to go was to miss work and try to accumulate as much free vendor stuff as you could (I think I had 6 t-shirts at the end of the day). You mean that wasn't the reason?
Actually, I also picked up some great info, talked to a number of representatives about thier Linux based firewalls, noticed some interesting work that Corel is doing in the Client management space (as well as a number of other people... and if you want Linux to succeed in the desktop space, the first place it needs to go is at the office, and tools to help manage all those desktops will help that happen).
Of course I also picked up a copy of Mandrake 7.2 so I didn't need to download it.
Now, a few months later, I'm still using the mandrake CD, I've picked up one of those Linux Firewalls, and I just got a few other pieces of software/hardware.
Now, about Comdex.
Windows/MS killed Comdex.
That aside, you'll always have an "orgy of dorks" looking for shit. The job of the vendor is to sell their product, if this includes "toys" to get our attentions, great. If not, they better have a product that will make us go "HMMMM". A lot of us notice when a company is all hype, or some substance. We just like playing to the carnival like atmosphere these things seem to have developed into now.
This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
Sure, it's acknowledged this year, but this year's Comdex is a ghost town compared to last year's. Exhibitors from last year's massive event who didn't show this year include FreeBSD, Penguin Computing, VA, Linux Mall, TurboLinux, SuSE, a whole pile of smaller Freenix app vendors, and, ironically, Microsoft.
Very disappointing. Based on what we saw last year, my GF, my dad, and myself had allocated the whole day for the show, and ended up leaving at noon (it opened at 10am) to go shopping in Chicago.
Even Microsoft? Oh.....My......God.....! :-)
siri
....but ain't it sad that I am more interested in the Lamborghini than the hot blondes? [ Caution - mid life crisis approaching! ]
SuperID
Free Database Hosting
Brad Kuhn told me and some guys I was with that if we changed the name of our Linux users' group from "Calvin Linux Users' Group" to "Calvin GNU/Linux Users' Group" that RMS would come speak at our school for airfare. I didn't realize the extent of their anal retentiveness until now...
US stock quotes are quoted in fractions as they are traded on the NSE (well some of them, but all other US exchanges follow the NSE lead). They used to be quoted to the 1/4 then the 1/8 and a few years back moved to the 1/16. The are moving to a decimal system (like Europe and possibly Japan) in the next few years. Hmm all that corporate business training wasn't a total waste!
Time for Requiem.
BOO to the free stuff at comdex this year. The best part of any conference is the gimmes, right?
/. users hate Windows or think Microsoft is out to get them!
American Express gave you a lousy cup or cd wallet if you signed up for their ultra-high-rate Blue card.
Sun gave you a year-old tshirt (happy 5th anniversary to java or some crap copyright 2000)
One vendor, who's product I can't even remember gave you a light up bouncy ball if you let him swipe your card to add you to his spam list.
Everyone else was only giving away garbage (cd business cards, flyers, product brochures, etc)... and a few were giving away demo versions of their software.
Speaking of demos... they kids who's product rival'd VMware said that if you own a copy of VMware (retail) they will give you a FREE FULL VERSION of their software if you COPY YOUR VMWARE cd and mail it to them. Sounds kinda weird huh?
Overall spring comdex was CRAPPY for loot this year. The one in vegas always offers better loot, I'll post again after that one.
____________________
Remember, not all
Prevent linux based DDOS's!
http://linux.denialofservice.org/
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Microsoft is not the answer, Microsoft is the question. The answer is "no".
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Microsoft is not the answer, Microsoft is the question. The answer is "no".
They were the ones next to the big blow-up penguin chairs.
What company is that? I'm a bit skeptical about their system, and the guy refused to answer my questions... As soon as I asked him about security, he shyed away. (As in, blew me off.)
I forgot to take note of the name.
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Microsoft is not the answer, Microsoft is the question. The answer is "no".
ATM had a rather cool CCTV security system that's Linux based.
Andy Armstrong
It's not too late. Exhibits are open 10:00-16:00 today.
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All the stuff I got sent about Comdex was that it was all about .NET
This Wiki Feeds You TV and Anime - vidwiki.org
What the hell is 1/16 of a dollar?
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Je t'aime Stéphanie
you mean 6 1/4 cents?
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Je t'aime Stéphanie
I tought it had been replaced by XML.
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Je t'aime Stéphanie
Granted, I didn't get out there this year, but last year I went bright eyed and bushy tailed to gather swag. Boy, I sure was wrong. There were hardly any venders handing out stuff. The exceptions were SuSE (hat) LinuxFund (T shirt) RackSpace (T shirt) and alot of stickers and cds.
bah... Got better stuff from the Local Lug.
That would be 6.25 cents.
Unlike some years ago where the 'Linux freaks' were seen slinking around, talking to each other in mumbles and not taken seriously by anyone in authority.
Today there are more than two or three vendors and people are realizing that Linux of all flavors is here to stay.
Now, when the *BSD groups get together and put up their own wing, it will be a vertible choice cornicopia and the user will come out ahead no matter what happens.
Competition building better systems and users having choice, what a concept.
DanH
Cav Pilot's Reference Page
Cav Pilot's Reference Page
UNIX - Not just for Vestal Virgins anymore
Throughout the event there is this horrible cutout woman holding signs that direct visitors to certain areas.
If any of you happen to come across one with a missing head.... umm.... well I *think* the best way to remove the head is bend and rip. Forget using a knife, it takes too long to cut through.
I thought COMDEX was lame. I wouldn't suggest anyone under the age of 21 attending. And really the only reason I can see for attending if you are 21 or older is to drive the Mercedes (they had free test drives).
did anyone see the rubber bendy keyboard thing ( it was pink) at the "Reboard Card" booth (PC Dead -> Reborn Card -> PC Alive) I thought this was really cool, where can i get one of those keyboards?
Stock quotes have been in fraction form for as long as I can remember. NYSE and NASDAQ were both supossed to switch to decimal format recently (within the past 6 months), but it looks like they still haven't done it.
-- Anybody who tells you money is the root of all evil doesn't fucking have any.
. . .
The report was good, by the way. I am thankful for the information as I don't have enough time or money to go myself. I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that content prepared for millions to read should at least have one revision from editors.
The first line should read, with bold alterations:
SEWilco has a comprehensive report from the Spring Comdex show in Chicago. A good listing - the show was smaller, but I think there were still some good exhibits put on there. Click through to read more.
Slashdot writers really need to work on their grammar, and need to have an editorial review process in place.
I'm sorry, you were cleared to OTIII, but there's a new clearance level OTIII2K, the old OTIII is being discontinued at the end of the year.
You can try to pass an audit for OTIII2k one time, at a huge fee, and if you fail there are six new courses for you to pass.
Among those notably absent from this years Spring Comdex:
Red Hat
Microsoft
Novell
Oracle
DEC (Although there was a lot of Compaq)
Lucent
HP
And of course, Slashdot. :-)
SMQ 90AE4B2BC4F6BEAF7340F0B40BA2DEF7340F6BC2D0392
The NYSE moved to dollars and cents back in October or November. Since this is the big board (read DJIA), most of the newer stocks aren't listed in cents. The NASDAQ is supposed to move over to dollars/cents in the next few months. Then you can see RedHat and VALinux traded in dollars and cents rather then fractions of a long gone gold coin.
Two pence none the richer.
That's Gatesian thinking...especially considering that XML is just metaform of sgml....
Anyone see Leo last night? "See this! This is BASIC! You guys are stealing this!"
It's not ZDTV anymore...you can't hate me for watching it.
"Yeah...it was the numbers that were irrational, not the murderous cult of vegetarians...." -- Hippasus of Metapontum
The number of free t-shirts decreased from eight to two. VA's getting cheap. I may one day, Linus forbid, have to actually DO laundrey!
Anyone else want to say, "Badges? Badges!? I don't need no stinking badges!"
"You can keep them, and this pen will allow you to get autographs."
"Ooh, autographs..."
...
"There's no one here who's autograph I want."
"I can do a good 'Benevolent Dictator' for ten dollars, or for five, I can write up 'Cox in the Code.' "
"What can I get for a quarter?"
" 'Remeber, it's GNU/Linux.' "
"Yeah...it was the numbers that were irrational, not the murderous cult of vegetarians...." -- Hippasus of Metapontum
It's not much, but if asked for a business card and an order form, you could get a free mugs from the Storm reps. I think a purple squiggle is cute.
"Yeah...it was the numbers that were irrational, not the murderous cult of vegetarians...." -- Hippasus of Metapontum
Except, instead of building, it's reducing.
Binary builds out as 1 2 4 8...
Stocks are fractionized in halves, 1 1/2 1/4 1/8
This system doesn't merely estimate the half, but keeps very percise track as based on how the stock moves, or how fast it's bought or sold, in what size of volume, how quickly they are sold, and all that starts at the base of what the company is worth now with a projection of what it will be worth tomorrow, next week, next month, next quarter and next year.
The percision of the numbers seem useless when you hear the base of "and the stock is currently worth sixty-five cents;" however, that's sixty-five cents a share, which was bought in block of, most commonly, five hundred, so a 3/8 point change on that stock actually comes out to $121.85. That's why the really large stocks can be tracked as high 1/128, and, back before Reagonomics, some two were marked at being tracked to the 512; though, I have even seen 1024 trracking during dot-com fever.
"Yeah...it was the numbers that were irrational, not the murderous cult of vegetarians...." -- Hippasus of Metapontum
two pence
I don't know why I didn't remember that, ah well.
What? I'm going to get moded down while everyone's playing in the Red Hat section? Yeah, right...
"Yeah...it was the numbers that were irrational, not the murderous cult of vegetarians...." -- Hippasus of Metapontum
Spring Comdex was great this year, while the overall show was slightly smaller than years past, GNU-Linux made a great appearance. With a new release by Agenda Computing of their Linux PDA As well as a booth by the Free Software Foundation Net BSD also made an appearance, with a rather informative booth. Caldera was putting on linux user classes.
Biometrics and security were hot topics with finger print scanners, retina scanners, and voice print authentifacation were being displayed. Aladdin displayed their eTokens. Firewalls were in the mass, with 7 distributers bringing products.
Among other tech interests were the Koolance systems. They had several displays of liquid cooling, including one system running submerged in some type of a liquid. X-Gaming also displayed lcd shuttter glasses which made a computer image appear 3dimenisonal.