Slashdot Mirror
Preparation for LinuxWorld Heats Up
BoomZilla writes "Numerous stories abound regarding next week's LinuxWorld in San Francisco.
Reuters has published a report about Sun's upcoming
announcement at the show. Apparently Sun will be revealing its first
general-purpose, low-end Linux machine, and its own version of Linux. In another
article CBS MarketWatch
reports that IBM and RedHat/Dell will also be making major announcements." It'll at least be interesting this year with Microsoft
having a booth. I'll be there as usual, but without a booth, so maybe we can
russle up a party somewhere for Wed night? Anyone know a good place? Perhaps that serves Guinness & Bodingtons? Also, go see the Golden Penguin Bowl since
I'm a contestant this year and will undoubtedly embarass myself terribly.
Sun announcement: We now own Linux and Sun is now the standard.
IBM announcement: We recognize Linux rules.
Red Hat announcement: We suck.
Dell announcement: Microsoft won't let us use Linux.
"I'll be there as usual, but without a booth, so maybe we can russle up a party somewhere for Wed night? Anyone know a good place? Perhaps that serves Guinness & Bodingtons?"
I wonder if this will be the first bar that gets slashdotted...
www.mslinux.org -- tells the whole story. Microsoft is ready to rumble! :-)
Rich people are eccentric. Poor people are strange. Me, I'd be happy with odd.
The Boston Tea Party and what you will do with all MS software you have.
.net, CLI, VisualStudio...
Let's see if we can fill up the MS booth.
You know they are gonna be promoting
Huh? Another distro? What could Sun's edge over the others be is what I'm wondering. Companies like SuSE/Mandrake already have the low end, RedHat does the middle and Solaris has the high end. So is there going to be a high end Linux?
Oh! Here's an idea. Perhaps McNealy sees this as a chance to return to the Network Computer idea (not a bad one in itself) by having thin client machines running XFree. Suns Linux could be like the LTSP distro.
that this Microsoft booth will put the whole OSS community into serious trouble.
We all know these ultra zealots like RMS et al. These people have only a little self-control if they are writing about closed source systems.
What will such people do if they see a MS booth at the Linux world ?
If they get mad and storm it and chase the poor MS employees around, it will be very easy for the MS PR department to portrait all OSS supporters as raving half-terrorists. This might result in Bush creating laws for prohibiting OSS at the US (at least at universities and colleges).
So they MS booth might provide much harm for OS systems. There is even the possibility that MS especially planned such events.
Owner of a Mensa membership card.
Published last friday on their website:
a nd rakesoftnews/news?n=/mandrakesoft/events/2369
http://www.mandrakesoft.com/company/community/m
__________________
AMD's booth
This year AMD will be welcoming the Mandrakesoft team as partner on their booth. Hammer, AMD's new generation of 64-bits processor, and Mandrake Clustering (Clic project) will be in the spotlight.
Hammer demos
* Demo of the Beta version of the upcoming Mandrake Linux 9.0 on Hammer.
* Use of X 32 bits server running KDE 3.02 64 bits and a Konqueror 64 bits navigator. This server will be linked to a Gigabit Ethernet network. There should also be a charge simulation of 5000 connexions.
Mandrake Clustering (Clic project) demos:
* Use of a cluster of 4 Bi-Athlon XP/MP nodes with GeForce 4.
* Presentation of operations of nodes fast deployment from a server.
* Presentation of the Quake demo on multi screens.
* Presentation of Povray calculations using MPI or PVM technics which show that every node calculates and transmits the information.
HP's booth
On HP's booth, there will be demonstrations of the Bundle Premium, an OEM special offering built by HP and Mandrakesoft under a partnership agreement. This offering is based on HP's Evo desktops associated with Mandrake Linux Standard OEM Edition.
The Bundle Premium consists of 2 CDs and a 100-day per mail support. The first CD offers Mandrake Linux Standard OEM Edition, the second one is loaded with StarOffice 6.0, the reference office suite for Linux. This product is distributed via HP's worldwide network of resellers.
HP will also demonstrate 441 Project Community Computer concept, using the Mandrake Linux distribution. This concept is geared towards educational markets. It could potentially reduce the cost per seat dramatically by sharing the resources of one Evo desktop among 4 users.
IBM's booth
MandrakeSoft recently announced that it will distribute DB2, IBM's famous database software, with its server product. The combination IBM DB2 version 8/Mandrake Linux 8.2 will be exhibited on IBM's booth. This ideal low-cost e-Business solution is likely to open a new era of migration from other platforms.
_____
Great to see that IBM shows interest in Mandrake!
Most Sun customers won't even care what graphics card is in the thing - in fact, most won't ever log in. There are some Sun desktops in the universe (Hello to whoever posts a reply saying they use Sun on the desktop), but the vast majority are headless servers running back-end stuff.
Cheers,
Ian
They cannot be so naive as to think they are going to go to such a convention, hoping to win followers. What they are doing is tantamount to inciting a riot for exactly the reasons you stated: many open source zealots have no self control. (Come on, we've all gotten fired up from a conversation with a half-witten MS drone.) This is no different from going up to PennState's main campus, standing in the college town, shouting "PennState Football SUCKS!" then throwing a garbage can. It will cause a riot. Microsoft standing in at a Linux convention, shouting "Open Source SUCKS!" then throwing thriw software around. It's no different. Hopefully, no violence or misbehavior will come of this. (MS, afterall, are certainly paying their dues to have a booth.) However, if it does, the picture will be painted and open source gets its credibility knocked down a thousand points.
What needs to happen is exactly the opposite, and it needs to be documented. There needs to be a few groups of well-educated indivudals who know software and the market well. They need to go to that booth, followed by a few idiots with cameras, and demonstrate a clean, friendly, intelligent conversation with the MS people. Nobody needs to trip anyone else up. Either party needs to show respect, and if MS can't do that all the better. It will make open source supporters appear mature, level-headed, and above all else, credible in a corporate sense, especially since both sides will ask the tough questions.
Why bother.
There's a little pub right across from the Metreon on Mission st. that serves guiness (and I think boddingtons), that's the closest one I know close to Moscone. Alternatively, there's a pub with pool tables on Columbus about half way between North Beach and the wharf that serves $2 guiness draws on weekdays! FYI.
I would not be so quick to just write off another Linux distro.
It may be very important that it comes from SUN.
And, it is not because Linux needs another distro either.
Rather it is because SUN will package hardware and software and sell the package to corporate accounts. HPaq, IBM and others do not do that. DELL is beat up by the criminals running Microsoft everytime they try.
But, SUN has not deal with Microsoft. They do not have to squeeze terms out of the illegal operation. They can just put together the hardware/software that works and works well and begin their marketing. And, Linux on the desktop needs that very much.
When corporations start buying 1,000 orders of SUN Linux and boxen, the other OEMs in the business will be forced to tell Microsoft to stuff their obusive terms. And, that will make all the difference in the world.
Do you really think Hpaq and IBM is going to just let SUN have all the corporate business for Linux on the desktop? Hpaq does offer a few Linux desktop solutions but they are limited. And, they are not across the board.
That dynamic can all change when SUN enters that marketplace. And, selling linux desktops does not erode their service business either. That would be the entry into a market which they presently do not participate in. And, that could be more significant than SUN adding itself to the list of Linux Server suppliers.
What will they do? Ignore the corporate desktop market? Or, package a fine white box, Linux and StarOffice? And, sell, promote and support them by the thousands? That is something that HPaq and IBM do not do.
NexuSys - Linux support by the best
Interesting to see that the Slashdot booth went from the huge right-next-to-the-front-door booth with piles of beanbag chairs and the PT Cruiser to.. well, as Taco said, no booth at all.
I wonder if SGI will be there at all. They used to have cool booths.
The free t-shirt count has dwindled too. Kind of sad to see Linux World Expo shrinking year after year.
Microsoft has no good intentions for the LWCE. I have come to learn that they intend to only do two things: promote their Services For Unix software and promote Windows XP Embedded.
I have been trying to find the original Newsforge article with that information, but I've only been able to find the article at Eweek.com.
They try to make it out as though it's really about talking to customers that need to work in a mixed environment, but I have my doubts. They also try to make it out as being a dialog between them and the rest of the OSS and Free Software communities.
// file: mice.h
#include "frickin_lasers.h"
The Hitler comparison is pretty nauseating. Did anyone else not find that funny? I don't like MS or use their products either, but Christ. . .
Microsoft documents apparently have something to reveal.
It does not sound like lack of demand had anything to do with it.
Sounds more and more like additional illegal activity.
The following is taken from the opening statement by the States.
1. Microsoft held a series of meetings with Dell in regard to linux
2. Meetings involved both Gates and Ballmer
3. Microsoft does not sell a linux distro
4. Microsoft needs to remind Dell why it is smart to partner with Microsoft
5. Dell feels a need to discuss linux with Microsoft? (does he need permission from the godfather?)
6. Ballmer is urged to make certain that Dell understands it is untenable for Dell to be marketing linux
7. Ballmer suggests that Gates give Dell somewhat of a hard time (Ballmer suggests that Gates brown nose Dell)
8. Dell in June of 2001 informs Microsoft (the crime family) that Dell has canceled their linux business unit
9. Does not smell like lack of market demand at all
Is this testimony? No, just statements from the States based upon Microsoft documents.
But, does this sound like a lack of marketing demand nixed Redhat on Dell desktops? Not to me it does not.
It sounds like Dell thinks that Microsoft Corporation has to approve any contracts that Dell might want to sign with others. (Or, they have to cancel if Microsoft does not approve.)
Lewis A. Mettler, Esq. (lamlaw.com)
NexuSys - Linux support by the best