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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."
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?
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?
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