COMDEX Opens with Smallest Attendance Ever

jgeelan writes "That's the verdict, anyhow, just posted on its main page by SYS-CON Media." Let's be realistic, does anything important really ever happen at COMDEX? The only thing I've ever got out of attending COMDEX is a horrible flu.

Comments

Well...

[rovingeyes]

the front page photo looks like a nazi regime guy naming all his allies. No wonder every decided to stay away.

Re:Well...

[Anonymous Coward]

Well he sure doesnt look like Bill Gates the real Hitler

Re:Well...

[McFly69]

I am not sure about that comment. But McNealy does have Adolf's twinkle eyes =)

Well....

[REBloomfield]

Scott McNealy proves he's really a Vulcan... ..everybody do the funny finger thing...

TSS

[opposume]

I don't know, it seemed like there was pleanty interesting to be heard and seen at COMDEX this year. The guys from the Screen Savers on TechTV went there and they said that there was pleanty to be had. Then again, I wasn't there sooooooooo...

spam

[Aerolith_alpha]

personally i stopped bothering to sign up with them because i got more spam from them then any other 'legit' convention so far.

Re:spam

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't know about Comdex Vegas, but Comdex Toronto has been in a death-spiral for several years. It got so bad in 2001 that almost none of the "major" vendors showed up apart from Microsoft. I.e. no IBM, Apple, Dell, Corel, HP, etc.

Comdex Toronto has largely become a "computer fair" with the booths that sell end-of-life software and previous versions of software books, etc.

I don't know what Comdex Toronto 2002 was like - I purposely stayed away as it took 3 days to get the stink of impending death out of my coat after the previous one.

Re:spam

[Oliver Wendell Jones]

Wow, isn't that the truth...

I haven't been to a Comdex for over 2 years and I still get spam mail from them.

The last Comdex I went to (Chicago), I did manage to pick up some nice swag, including several Linux distro CDs, so it wasn't a total waste...

Re:spam

[tomstdenis]

your sig... um? puts the VGA card into 320x240x256 mode? Besides

mov al,13h
int 10h

is shorter by one byte (and faster in 32-bit segments)...So if you want to show off how l33t y'are then optimize your code!

Re:spam

[Anonymous Coward]

320x200, dumbass. Props to 4br45h.

Re:spam

[Cruciform]

I was there in 98, and I think the coolest thing there was a 16:9 Plasma screen...

You nailed it with the computer fair description... the desperation practically dripped from all those small business owners hoping that someone wanted to buy some "consulting time" or some outdated, overpriced hardware bought from another company's surplus stock.

I never got to go to the American Comdex, but I would certainly hope it was more exciting.

Re:spam

[mrobinso]

'98 was the last time I went as well. I registered for it on their website and not a week later started getting tons of spam from them. Shortly after that started, I began getting spam at that same unique address I set up for comdex canada from all sorts of other spammers, so that address was sold in short order.

Haven't been to one since, because, well, they suck.

Re:spam

[falzer]

No. Register ah needs to be set at 0 when calling int 10h to set the video mode in al. Aerolith_alpha was correct for saying mov ax, 13h.

Re:spam

[Spazmania]

COMNET is bad about that too. I've taken to creating a special email address for it when registration time comes around and then deleting it afterwards. Then at the show if I actually want to speak to an exhibitor later I give them a business card with my real email address.

If others are doing similar things, this renders the exhibitors' lists worthless. Their whole point in going is to make industry contacts. Why should they bother to go if they don't get any value out of it?

As for COMDEX and bankruptcy, I don't get that. Las Vegas offers excellent prices to conventions so that they can attract the attendees to the casinos. Exhibitor fees should cover operational costs that aren't too extravagent, the training sessions are supposed to pay for themselves, and direct mail to prior attendees is cheap. How did they manage to piss away enough money to end up close to bankruptcy?

Re:spam

[Anonymous Coward]

Las Vegas offers excellent prices to conventions so that they can attract the attendees to the casinos.

Historically, Las Vegas has not been overenthusiastic about hosting COMDEX. The problem is, geeks don't gamble. At least not in large numbers compared to other convention demographics.

Re:spam

[CmdrPinkTaco]

It isn't just that people don't gamble, they don't shop and they don't tip when they go out to eat. Apparently COMDEX and CES are favorite times for waitresses around the convention centers to take vacation time.

Besides, geek understand mathematics (better than the average gambling public) and they also know that the odds are stacked against you no matter what you are playing, so why bother. Most of my fellow college students (engerineering at UNLV) refuse to gamble since they know that these billion dollar casinos aren't built because they are giving money away.

Re:spam

[Reziac]

It's immortal. I'm still getting mail (some legit, but some borderline-spam) from the 1999 LinuxWorld. Tho it's not a bad trade for the huge swag I came home with :)

Re:spam

[dwtinkle]

I'm still getting mail (some legit, but some borderline-spam) from the 1999 LinuxWorld

So I guess you aren't on the Linux Kernel Mailing list. "You have 268 unread messages today"

Re:spam

[Reziac]

But I do occasionally look in on said linux kernel mailing list... and promptly run away screaming [g]

let me think...

[nick-less]

does anything important really ever happen at COMDEX?

wasn't the Amiga 1000 introduced at COMDEX 1985?

Re:let me think...

[Alan Partridge]

go Marble Madness and Newton's Cradle demos!

Re:let me think...

[Anonymous Coward]

The loraine (Amiga Codename) was showed to limited press at the '84 ComDEX.
It used to be a show where the years new products would be introduced. When there were different OS's, applications, and architectures competing for dollars. When Microsoft was growing up making BASIC interpreters and MSX, not buying out all competition in order to create a stranglehold across the IT horizon.

The last comdex

[isorox]

Looks like this story will proove right

Feeling a Little Bitter?

[CBNobi]

After all, the site has the headline:
"COMDEX Opens with Largest Drop in Attendance Ever !
Attendance Down More Than 50% from Two Years Ago ...
The Show Organizer May File for Bankruptcy Protection"

then..

"COMDEX Refuses to Issue "Press Badge" to SYS-CON Media"

Coincidence? Probably.

Re:Feeling a Little Bitter?

[quintessent]

So, where did the Slashdot poster get the phrase "smallest attendance ever" from? I didn't see that posted on SYS-CON. Was the poster smoking the carpet? Since when does "largest drop" mean "smallest ever"?

It almost sounds like President Clinton and others talking about "paying off the deficit."

Re:Feeling a Little Bitter?

[Universal Nerd]

Dude, this is slashdot, editors reading the article is totally optional.

AMD-apple link

[selderrr]

on the Apple rumours sites (forums.appleinsider.com, appleturns.com, www.mosr.com, www.macrumours.com, ...) there's a whole lot of babling going on anout AMD going in bed with Apple. Either for a hammer version of OSX, or AMD fabbing the next PPC...

Prolly just nonsense, but exciting anyway..maybe..

Re:AMD-apple link

[Anonymous Coward]

Hammer and OS X? No thank you. That is not exiting to me.

Re:AMD-apple link

[Melantha_Bacchae]

AMD worships the ground Microsoft walks on. Apple wants to crush Microsoft's skull (the way a Jaguar kills).

Not a real good basis for a partnership.

No, Apple's new processor, the thousand year dragon king, will come from the guardian god of the Big Blue sky. He will have his own reasons for hating Microsoft, and will be happy to help Apple.

On December 14, 1996, Mothra resurrected a charred Apple sapling ("Mosura" 1996).
On December 14, 2001, Mothra returned to see its fruit ("Gojira, Mosura, Kingu Ghidora: Daikaiju Soukougeki").
OS X Jaguar: truly the Apple of Mothra's Aqua eye.

Eh? Am I missing something here?

[Dr Thrustgood]

I always thought that, in computing at least, everything's *meant* to get smaller...

Re:Eh? Am I missing something here?

[Anonymous Coward]

> I always thought that, in computing at least, everything's *meant* to get smaller...

Yah, that's why my girlfriend left me.;-)

Re:Eh? Am I missing something here?

[Cruciform]

Comdex: Computer Trade Show and Dwarf Tossing Championship :)

Re:Eh? Am I missing something here?

[Anonymous Coward]

That's everything EXCEPT profits.

should be an opportunity

[tps12]

So if there is no one there, why doesn't the Open Source community embrace the opportunity to set up some booths? With less competition from successful companies, Linux should be able to get a strong foothold (or is that a foot stronghold?) and finally get some press. It's because we don't sieze opportunities like this that Linux continues to languish as an also-ran in the enterprise server market.

Re:should be an opportunity

[NineNine]

Well, how exactly is "the community" going to pay for a booth? Who puts together the promotional material?

That's the problem with OSS. No marketing. No central organization.

Re:should be an opportunity

[tomhudson]

For much less than the cost of a booth at one of these shows, you can host your own install-fest locally.

Remember the phrase "think globally - act locally"? The death of Comdex (maybe we should start calling it condex, with all the vapourware that's been shown there) will probably be a good thing for everyone in the long run.

Or once a month, make a copy of your favourite distro and give it to a total stranger - they gas jockey, the cashier at the supermarket, whatever... and donate a copy to the local library, to lend out.

good chance to get work done

[Anonymous Coward]

When my boss is away to Comdex, it's an excellent time of unhindered progress -- I go to work and get some work done!!! . When everyone's in town, all we ever do is sit in 5t00p1d m33t1ng5 all day long. I wish there were more than one Comdex a year.

Re:good chance to get work done

[will_die]

I did it the other way, at my last job I required a provision that part of my job duties were to go to COMDEX each year, which they had to pay for.
Got to see everything and had a good week of vacation, just had to write up a trip report for it.

Re:good chance to get work done

[Anonymous Coward]

There is more than one Comdex every year. Its called Computex and CeBit

Never Been

[Cackmobile]

I've never been so I can't really comment but I will. What a shame.

Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

1. Networking was going to be big
2. Networking was going to be overvalued
3. The bubble was about to burst.

Don't know about the rest of you, but I made over $2 million just through going to Comdex. I think this was money well spent.

I've also learned that the business people know as little as the rest of us about where things are going. Thir guesses are never right. They might make some good guesses about what market will do well, but its almost always for the wrong reasons.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[dboyles]

I've also learned that the business people know as little as the rest of us about where things are going. Thir guesses are never right.

If only that were true... then things would be like the episode of Seinfeld where George decides to do the exact opposite of what he would normally do.

"If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right."

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

To be honest, I was a little hard on them. They are fairly good at spotting a really bad idea, and avoiding it, but once you've got rid of the no-hopers, you might as well choose the rest by shuffling them and picking them at random.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[4of12]

I've also learned that the business people know as little as the rest of us about where things are going. Thir guesses are never right. They might make some good guesses about what market will do well

The problem is information overload. The correct projections about the future are lost in a sea of incorrect projections, wishful thinking, emotion and hype.

Like this year. I know that tablets will be a big thing.

Someday.

The roadside's littered with businesses that tried to introduce products based on good ideas that were too many years before the right time.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

Why, yes.

I learned that anyone who matters doesn't go about insulting people because they're too stupid to work out what a poster is actually getting at.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

I read your journal entry. Another typical technocratic license the PC users boring drivel. However Im curious if Comdex is what taught you that removing 'ms-dos' machines ability to access the internet would speed the internet up for everyone else. Thats some funny shit, maybe you should go take your computer users license test.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

Your point?

Are you saying that its good to have MS-DOS machines on a 32 bit network?

Just what are your qualifications anyway?

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

What's a 32 bit network?

Better put the hat back on. Your pointy hair is becoming obvious.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

What's a 32 bit network?

Sigh. Obviously its a TCP/IP network produced using 32 IP addresses. Do you know nothing about packet switching?

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[dpilot]

>I've also learned that the business people know as little as the rest of us about where things are going. Thir guesses are never right. They might make some
>good guesses about what market will do well, but its almost always for the wrong reasons.

If this is true, then why do they get paid so much? Whenever there is a gripe about excessive executive compensation, they're decried as Socialists. Well, I'm going to gripe about excessive executive compensation, because they're just not doing a good enough job to earn the high pay they're getting. If the "Captains of Industry" were really doing 7 and 8 figure jobs, the economy would be in better shape than it is. They wouldn't have been fooled by the dot-com bubble and wouldn't have landed us in the dot-com bust. They already keep an eye on their peers, and they should have forseen the current corporate accounting mess, and perhaps headed it off, or at least reduced its impact.

Am I asking for a lot? Yes. But then, 7 or 8 figures is a lot of pay. They should earn it. Instead they screw up, leaving people like us holding the bag.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

ha ha ha ha ha ha

that 32 has nothing to do with 32 bit memory addressing _whatsoever_

you are so clueless we are all laughing at your aggressive ignorance

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

So, you're saying that a machine that has 16 bit memory addressing will be able to read the header from memory at the same speed as a 32 bit machine?

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[raju1kabir]

What's a 32 bit network?

Sigh. Obviously its a TCP/IP network produced using 32 IP addresses. Do you know nothing about packet switching?

32 IP addresses?

Assuming you meant 32-bit IP addresses, you're still inventing terminology. And what does the number of bits in an address have to do with knowing things about packet switching? That's an implementation detail.

Sigh indeed.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

As I mentioned in a different post - They're actually quite good at spotting the total disasters.

They guessed that Amazon might succeed, but also assumed that a lot of companies that failed would do well as well. Some had no business plan at all. They didn't invest in these. This was the difference between making a profit and making a loss.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[Reziac]

It's not just dot-com businesses either. My broker tells me that I'm just as well off to make my own stock decisions, since he's just guessing like everyone else. At least he was honest enough to say so!!

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

So, you're saying that a machine that has 16 bit memory addressing will be able to read the header from memory at the same speed as a 32 bit machine?
Yes. It's time somebody learned the different between address sizes and bus width.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

Well, I meant 32 bit bus width. Nevertheless, unless you have 64K of RAM, I'd say the point still stands.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

Guess what....I learned those things WITHOUT going to Comdex! I must be a seer....

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

Well done. You are quite right. I could have learned elsewhere, but there was a lot of information all in one place at Comdex.

As another succesful businessman, I am sure that you appreciate the need for a lot of data.

Re:Things I learned at Comdex

[91degrees]

you're still inventing terminology.

That is indeed a good point. Still, interesting to see the opinion of someone who doesn't know an awful lot about networking try to argue with a ludicrous point about the subject.

I know its childish. I'm sorry.

Exhibitions in the time of the Internet

[jmerelo]

Well, at least in Comdex you get the chance to smell, weigh, shake, and look under the things that are available mostly anywhere in the web.
But the plain truth is that attedance to trade fairs is going down anywhere; the same happened in SIMO, the spanish Comdex (if there's such a thing), which happened a short while ago. Product presentations are mainly done outside them, so it does not make a lot of sense to go to a trade fair to see booth after booth of computers, laptops, palmtops or whatever is the rage that year.

Re:Exhibitions in the time of the Internet

[Anonymous Coward]

smell, weigh, shake, and look under the things that are available mostly anywhere in the web

I'm sorry, but based on what I spend most of my time viewing on the web, that just doesn't sound very appealing.

Booty!

[Garg]

The only thing I've ever got out of attending COMDEX is a horrible flu.

I got my ComputerWorld button collection, a couple of T-shirts and a miniature basketball autographed by Spud Webb.

Well, maybe that's why attendance is down... we've all got our offices decorated now.

Garg

Re:Booty!

[will_die]

Did not go this year, but had gone to the previous 5 years.
I now have my office now decorated in stuff of companies that no longer exist. However I only have 4 more out of business t-shirts left, rest have to many holes or paint stains.
The best thing I got from COMDEX was a bunch of hot sause, some company was giving them away and talking to the booth guy I got 10 bottles. Good Lousiana style sauce.

Re:Booty!

[Entropy_ah]

Am I the only one who read the parent's title and figured it was some guy who got some poon at comdex one time?

Oh wait, this is slashdot...

Re:Booty!

[Anonymous Coward]

I got some from a hot booth babe.

One of the coolest things about Comdex was all the hot models hired for the SE Asian biz guys :) I talked with one PR person / pimp who said they inquired about the personal preferences of the various biz guys from Taiwan, Singapour, Japan etc and found specific chicks for them.

Re:Booty!

[hendridm]

> Well, maybe that's why attendance is down... we've all got our offices decorated now.

More likely, I think a rather large portion of us here don't have offices to decorate anymore and those of us who do can't convince our bosses to send us to some notorious geek expo.

Re:Booty!

[Anonymous Coward]

That is if you still have an office...

Why Should We Care ?

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean .. Why should we care about SYS-CON ?

My tale of COMDEX

[larsoncc]

I went to COMDEX last year in the hopes of finding what everyone REALLY wants from COMDEX. T-Shirts.

My boss and I wandered the aisles, looking at new technology vendors (who happened to be giving away shirts).

We came across one friendly looking lady, with at least 7 BOXES of T-Shirts. HEAVEN! I proceed to lay down the geek-speak about how her product would fit into our organization, and I was getting a fairly good response. I felt the T-Shirt grab was "in the bag", so I asked for one.

She looked right at me, smiled, and pointed to the table: "Have a bendy!" Looking at the table, I saw the prize for all of my effort. A wire, wrapped in a plastic/rubber substance. Basically, the prize was as complete of a waste of time as my conversation had been.

To this day, whenever my boss talkes about getting screwed over by someone, he uses the phrase "Have a bendy!"

Re:My tale of COMDEX

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn dude, you are about to get me fired for busting out laughing in my office. Hilarious!

Re:My tale of COMDEX

[Anonymous Coward]

You t-shirt whores got it all wrong. The co.'s should be paying YOU to promote whatever silly crap they've got. Besides, a plain shirt costs maybe $3 retail. How much time did you spend trying to get that geeky shirt? And how much is your time worth?

Re:My tale of COMDEX

[Lumpy]

this is typical at ALL trade shows now... if you dont look like you are the person that will make the purchases and are planning on buying BIG then they dont want you to have anything but the crap.

Except microsoft.... my god, they were forcing them damn "be sure it's legal" t-shirts, mouse pads, etc... down everyone's throat. the one lady MADE me take one of each and smiled at me saying "you dont have to thank me. mmmkay?"

Made me want to walk up and punch the guy in the butterfly suit.

Re:My tale of COMDEX

[tetra103]

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand the "free crap" mentallity. I mean, why would anyone want the crap they give out anyway? A dorky cheap T-shirt I wouldn't even wear to fix my car in. Why bother? All the stuff they give out just ends up in a land fill. Why would anyone want to be a part of that cycle?

If they'd just stop giving out "free crap" and start offering lap dances from the boot babes, I bet you'd see attendence pick up.

Re:My tale of COMDEX

[Anonymous Coward]

> ...e uses the phrase "Have a bendy!"

Yeah, we use "dude, you got a dell."

Comdex & CES

[ackthpt]

I think they should merge Comdex and CES. So much shows up at CES (consumer electronics show) which really would also appear at a Comdex and the merging of business items (i.e. the PC) into entertainment (i.e. Home entertainment platform) they might as well. Besides, it also makes CES that much more worthwhile to sneak into as an, uh, respresentative of some ficticious business. (c=

There was a time when shows like Comdex were locally run, smaller shows, better targetted towards the local market (i.e. DPMA Great Lakes Computer Show, may it rest in peace) but being so uneconomical for manufacturers to zip all over the place they try to hold just a few big shows. Hmm.. seems not to be working, where's the scienterrific or economic model showing this failure? I know Computer Shopper is a mere shadow of it's former self, could it be the same forces? I don't think so, probably just less interest in spending on IT at the moment, and IT is reaching the point in the curve where advances produces less of a return, so older equipment and software is just fine.

Re:Comdex & CES

[MtViewGuy]

I think CES will become even more relevant nowadays because the home entertainment industry has really exploded in popularity in the last seven years, what with the rise of DVD's (high-quality video in an easy-to-store format), multi-channel home theater systems (finally a use for the idea pioneered by quadraphonics in the 1970's), and gaming consoles such as PlayStation/PlayStation2, XBox and GameCube.

Microsoft's Windows XP Media Center is a sign of things to come as the convergence of computers and the home entertainment system start to accelerate; I would not be surprised if Apple produces a Power Macintish model that aims for the same market within 24 months.

Re:Comdex & CES

[Anonymous Coward]

CES attracts a very different crowd than COMDEX. With the rare exception of companies like Samsung and Microsoft, there are very few companies that tred on both sides of the fence.

COMDEX obit written many times before

[buckeyeguy]

... but maybe it's about time this thing died a natural death. Personally, I think it's a sign that the computer industry has truly reached a state of being a commodity industry... years ago, when everything was new and nobody knew what would be the 'next big thing', COMDEX was the place to be. Now, either nobody thinks there will be a next big thing, or nobody cares.

Not true...

[Flabby Boohoo]

Let's be realistic, does anything important really ever happen at COMDEX? The only thing I've ever got out of attending COMDEX is a horrible flu.

That is due mostly to the fact that the products are and services are mostly Windows oriented. And since you absolutely hate Microsoft, I am not surprised by that comment.

I will say that I have found Comdex an excellent resource in seeing product demos and having access to key personnel for one-on-one q&a invaluable. And since the booth staff is usually engineers as well as sales people, you can even get some technical questions answered for products already purchased (that the phone support cannot seem to answer).

Another bonus: getting out of the office for a day and checking out some gorgeous women is worth it on its own merit.

Re:Not true...

[Zebbers]

Another bonus: getting out of the office for a day and checking out some gorgeous women is worth it on its own merit. Sleeping with them tends to be much better, try it sometime. Oh wait, you went to Comdex...nevermind :)

Re:Not true...

[schon]

the products are and services are mostly Windows oriented.

Funny story.. in 1995 my boss and a couple of the sales guys went to Comdex, and came back saying that Digital Video was the next 'big' thing - MS (and therefore everybody else) was hyping it, and everybody's product was related to it..

That was the year that the Internet happened - and it took MS (and the rest of the Windows world) completely and totally by surprise - digital video as "the next big thing" never really happened.

I think that was the beginning of the end for Comdex.. each year since, it has become less and less relevant.

Re:Not true...

[theolein]

"I will say that I have found Comdex an excellent resource in seeing product demos and having access to key personnel for one-on-one q&a invaluable. And since the booth staff is usually engineers as well as sales people, you can even get some technical questions answered for products already purchased (that the phone support cannot seem to answer).
"

Normally this is what you have tech support for, but I can appreciate your being tired of trying to get an answer from call-center operators on your tech püroblems.

COMDEX Opens with Smallest Attendance Ever

[hottoh]

The first Comdex had about 10k people.

I think more than 10k people attended the first day.

There are better "big" shows now.

[MtViewGuy]

I think right now if you want to go to a large-scale show with emphasis on computers and related stuff, the best shows are CeBIT in Germany and COMPUTEX in Taiwan.

CeBIT is a huge show that makes COMDEX during its heyday look like a minor event in comparison; COMPUTEX is very relevant nowadays since a lot of computer technology now originates in Taiwan (look at the long list of well-known computer peripheral manufacturers based there).

Big Things Are Happening!

[scott1853]

Just look, Carly Fiorina announced a new slogan for HP! The only thing that could top that is if Gates got up and announced a new hologram for the CDs!!! What a great time to be a techie.

I went to comdex to years ago.

[upstart1234]

Hell I live in las vegas and I don't even see the need to go. The one two years ago was the best one EVER thats when all the linux companies had booths and everyone had money to blow on t-shirts to hand out. My friends and I got friggen GHETTO on those booths we took so much stuff we had atleast 4 full bags between us. At one booth we took so much stuff the guy running it had to ask us to leave or he would call security. Ahh good times.

Location is a problem

[FJ]

I once worked for a place which was hurting financially. Whenever anyone tried to go to a conference, the first thing the PHBs looked at was the location. If it was in Orlando or someplace fun (like Vegas) they immediately thought it was going to be a company paid vacaiton and rejected the request.

The sad part is some conferences are really good. There were a few I would have gone to if they were held in a garbage dump in Antartica.

Re:Location is a problem

[wfmcwalter]

My former employer (large computer company) would regularly hold sales meetings which worldwide sales employees of a given division would attend.

Because of the distribution of staff around the world, it was pretty obvious that the meetings should occur either on the west coast of the US or in Hawaii.

They learned through bitter experience that the controllers regarded Hawaii as "junket city" and San Jose as "get work done city", and so they could only get stuff approved for San Jose. This dispite the fact that flights to San Jose were at least as expensive as those to Hawaii, and hotel accomodation (for several hundred people, for a week) was considerably more expensive.

So the meetings were always in San Jose (or some other hideous Silicon Valley heckhole), at twice the price their Hawaiian equivalents would have been.

GeForceFX

[MrJones]

Thats what happend in this Comdex Fall 2002

Does that mean...

[sithlord2]

...where going to see a lot of "COMDEX is dead"-trolls ?

Re:Does that mean...

[__aaklbk2114]

...where going to see a lot of "COMDEX is dead"-trolls ?

we're did you learn how to spell?

Re:Does that mean...

[rixster]

Probably the same place you went to learn the skill of abbreviation.

Re:Does that mean...

[Anonymous Coward]

pretty sure that was the point of the message. Exchanging where and we're. *DUH* :P

Re:Does that mean...

[Anonymous Coward]

"where going to see a lot of "COMDEX is dead"-trolls?"

Me dont know. Where are we going to see the trolls?

stupid fuck.

OT: but how is CeBIT doing.

[will_die]

With COMDEX being so poor last year and this year how is CeBit has it died down or is it still going really strong?

Re:OT: but how is CeBIT doing.

[geistbear]

CeBIT is down as well, not as bad as the American shows, but a trade group from Northern VA went this last year and said it was a big disappointment compared to years past.

Not InternetWorld with empty halls you could ride a bike through mind you, but it still took a hit.

Bad Carly

[Anonymous Coward]

Next time, use better examples...

Highlights from Carly Fiorina's keynote: "FedEx was told it would never make an overnight delivery service work. Amazon was told they would never make online retailing work. BMW's Formula 1 team was told they'd never make a car that rivals Ferrari.

FedEX - yes
Amazon - turning a profit yet?
BMW F1 car - got stomped last year! (122 pts for top Ferrari vs 44 for top BMW)

No wonder nobody goes to COMDEX anymore...

Trade Show Swag: Leading Economic Indicator

[bluveinr]

I went to COMDEX Chicago last year, and it was awful. No T-shirts, keychains, or even a piece of candy. I'll bet you can tell the strength of the economy based on the amount of trade show give aways at any given convention.

BTW, I didn't even get to see any good booth bunnies. The best exhibit was the Mercedes booth which gave a free test drive that you could get a hat for participating in. The line was so long I even blew that off.

It's all a matter of perspective...

[coupland]

>The only thing I've ever got out of attending COMDEX is a horrible flu.

Well depending on how you look at it maybe that's proof that at least some good things come out of Comdex. ;-)

It's because everyone was busy with

[The Evil Couch]

The SEGWAY!

c'mon everyone! Let's race!

comdex ...

[monadicIO]

On a related note, a comdex article on /. gets fewest responses ever...

RIDICULOUS - Apple is currently enemy of AMD

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple is allowed to fab powerpc chips, it is one of the 3 partners including moto and ibm.

HOWEVER : Apple will not cause trouble with moto and IBM and will NOT EVER use AMD for powerpcwhen amd will foot none of the bill and in fact may actually pad the expenses and make it a losing proposition.

AMD is the enemoy of apple. When apple boaught Emagic Logic (a 949 dollar music tool for macs and pcs and os x) and did not bid high enough to buy Steinberg Cubase (also for mac and pc, and os x) Steinberg started a mini-war with apple last month or so announcing that they are PARTNERING with AMD to tune the Cubase for dual cpu AMD instead of dual CPU Powerpc... even though Cubase already is dual cpu mac.

Basically AMD is causeing apple headachesfor no reason, and steinberg is bitter.

One way to retailiate for apple is to spread rumors that AMD is on the finacial ropes and needs newblood product line.... this ludicrous amd-power idea is one such rumor I assume.

The new mini-Power4 in spring is so fast that apple does not need to worry for a long while.

Besides A Powerpc G4 mac, stock, from Feb 2002 gets over TWICE as many RC5 benchmark loops per second than the fastest dual cpu AMD MP. (And much faster than the pentium4 with its insane 4 clock latency on a 32 bit left shift). Check the rc5 org site to read about how macs are twice as fast as fastests AMDs.

I think this whole story ruins credibility of slashdot.

Re:RIDICULOUS - Apple is currently enemy of AMD

[Trespass]

'Credibility' and 'Slashdot'...

I'm sorry, you lost me.

Spam bastards

[Sabalon]

I went in 94 and for 5 years late got spammed about comdex regardless of how much I tried to get off their list. I even e-mailed their InterNIC contact and the abuse department at uunet, where it was flowing through showing how it was a violation of UUNets AUP.

I got an e-mail back from zdnet (which was doing the actual spamming) about how it wasn't abuse, but still got the crap.

Palm is another company that seems to be incapable of removing subscribers from their promotion lists.

Re:Spam bastards

[phuturephunk]

. . I used to work for Palm (somewhat) . . Guess what? . . Your offspring are going to get spammed too . . ;) . .

BMW F1?

[mccalli]

No such thing. Try Williams, an organisation that has won plenty of races and championships, but that hasn't been doing well for quite a few years now.

Williams used to dominate with Honda engines, then with Renault. BMW are just another engine supplier - they'll come and go like the others.

Same with this McLaren Mercedes stuff. They did badly this year too - why? Because the original car was a McLaren-Ilmor with a cheque written by Mercedes to have a badge on it. This year, Merc believed their own hype and tried to bring more of the engine design in-house. The result was a rubbish engine, which was down on horsepower and also had a tendency to blow up.

BMW have tried to enter F1 as an engine supplier before. Remember Zakspeed? Eurobrun? No, neither does anyone else.

Cheers,
Ian

Re:BMW F1?

[Anonymous Coward]

Utter total rubbish. Stick to ranting about m$, will ya....

Re:BMW F1?

[mccalli]

Utter total rubbish.

Because....? I should point out that I've been closely following F1 for about eighteen years now.

Cheers,
Ian

Re:BMW F1?

[Anonymous Coward]

I should point out that I've been closely following F1 for about eighteen years now.

If this was the case then you would know that Zakspeed built thier own engines.

And, I could be wrong here, but, I think Merc bought Ilmor out recently.

By the way, do you remember the Bratham BMW?

Re:BMW F1?

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh, I forgot to add, EuroBrun used the Cosworth engine.

Re:BMW F1?

[mccalli]

You're right - I confused Eurobrun and Brabham. I'm still certain there was a link with Zakspeed and BMW however - maybe Zakspeed built under license, a la Playtech and Petronas?

I remember Zakspeed using Yamaha engines as well, but they kept blowing up as well if I recall correctly.

Cheers,
Ian

Re:BMW F1?

[Anonymous Coward]

No, but I remember the Brabham BMW that Nelson Piquet won the '83 championship in.

Re:BMW F1?

[slipgun]

BMW have tried to enter F1 as an engine supplier before. Remember Zakspeed? Eurobrun? No, neither does anyone else.

If things keep going the way they are now, no one is going to remember F1 in 20 years' time. Shame really.

Deficit?

[MacAndrew]

Hey, we would be paying off the deficit or not worsening it so much, if only...

oh never mind.... :)

But wasn't that brief period of euphoria wonderful. Something to tell the kids about.

Of course Comdex is dying -- what a boring name! It sounds like a competitor to Rolodex®.

Re:Deficit?

[MacAndrew]

Let me clarify that these are not my views on politics; they are my views on arithmetic.

Deficit: "an excess of liabilities over assets"

I.e., spending more than you have. Until recently, we were talking about having "surpluses." Shall I define that one for you, too?

The current Administration has consistently lied about how "money works." Anyway money doesn't work -- people do. These people, typically middle-class, will be the ones who ultimately pay for the current deficits resulting from overspending and inadequate revenue exacerbated by tax cuts predicated on the supposed surpluses.

There are various reasons for the disappointing bleakness of our economic forecasts, but none explains the 1+1=3 math we've been getting lately. I'm not favoring one party over the other on this, either.

Pocket knife

[wiredog]

A swiss army type knife. From zdnet. The only comdex swag that I still use, because Moore's Law doesn't apply to useful things like that.

Re:Pocket knife

[Helen O'Boyle]

Along these lines, I attended the Windows 95 launch carnival in Redmond in August, 1995. Say what you will about MS; they sure threw a nice geek party that day.

Among the activities there were carnival games whose prizes were things like disk drives. I mastered the Western Digital ring-toss. Sadly, not thoroughly enough to win the top prize of a 200meg WD disk drive. But well enough for duffle bags to be a lock for me. I won 3 for myself, and 2 for friends (there was no limit on the number of prizes a person could win).

I wonder how many people who won the 200meg disk drives are still using them. In contrast, I still use my duffle bags as carry-on and as that invaluable extra piece of luggage stuffed into one's luggage, should it be needed for the return trip. I daresay they've outlasted multiple pieces of luggage/totebag that I've actually purchased. (If whoever came up with the prizes for WD for that event is reading slashdot: GOOD JOB on picking that duffle bag supplier!)
--
* Helen *

More people attend the 3 Macwords than Comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

More people attend the 3 Macword conventiuns each year than attend Comdex.

thats a fact.

Worse, comdex lies and pads its attendence by about 25%. At least they did not pad by 80% like the Million Man March or Blacks on washington, or Pasadena city civic leaders padding rosebowl parade spectator attendence by over 200%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With comdex lying by 25% and not caring, its no wonder few want to go there.

The other reason : you can;'t buy cool stuff at great prices at comdex,unlike other shows that allow on-site vending and direct sales specials.

The best part abount comdex is the porno mini-conference of porn multimedia cd-rom publishers and THAT grows every year. EVERY YEAR.

Comdex should allow the porn back into the main halls and then it would gorw and they would not have to declare backruptcy.

Or study the insane dedication of mac people who take paid vacation days if needed to go to macworld. They go for good price deals... and comdex has no deals.

Re:More people attend the 3 Macwords than Comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

The other reason : you can;'t buy cool stuff at great prices at comdex,unlike other shows that allow on-site vending and direct sales specials.

Not true. I went a couple of years ago and bought a Creativ Live sound card before they came out.

Re:More people attend the 3 Macwords than Comdex

[superflippy]

Or consider E3. I've seen people lie, cheat, and steal to get into that conference because it's where companies debut cool new games and let you try them out. Back when Comdex and E3 were both in Atlanta, I went to Comdex because I had to for work, but I went to E3 because I wanted to (even worked as a booth bunny once to gain entrance). The atmosphere of each show is totally different: Comdex is business occasionally masquerading as fun, E3 is fun occasionally masquerading as business.

According to the E3 web site, 60,000 people attended in 2002.

MIRCo

[Anonymous Coward]

haha.. your name is an irc client

It's the economy stupid!

[DerFeuervogel]

With the downturn in the IT industry this isn't surprising.
Who can even think about looking at new stuff when they
are looking for a job.

Because exhibiting costs too damn much!

[zardie]

Ever been involved with a company who has exhibited at such a trade show? It gets expensive. Thousands upon thousands of dollars and that's for a *small* booth.

I don't have exact figures, there doesn't seem to be anything on the website. I do know that for the big IT trade show in Melbourne last year (they cancelled it this year due to lack of attendance because nobody was exhibiting because it costs so much and they don't get return on investment), the Linux Users of Victoria had a free booth along with the Melbourne PC user group.

There's nothing new.

[IGnatius T Foobar]

There are two main reasons why COMDEX is failing:

• The Web has largely made technology shows obsolete.
• There's nothing new out there.

The latter can be squarely blamed on the fact that the computer industry has become hostile to new ideas. Everything's gotta be the same old humdrum PeeCee stuff. Ten years ago, everyone was trying out new ideas. Nowadays, nobody wants to try anything new because there's no hope of making any money -- all good ideas are promptly stolen by Microsoft, Intel, Dell, Cisco, etc. ... who can do it bigger and cheaper.

Is it any wonder that the only part of the tech world where change is really happening, is in the open source universe? Where the business rules don't apply?

Re:There's nothing new.

[Anonymous Coward]

Change might be happening in Open Source but I'll be damned if there are any category-creating new products coming from there. Everything seems to be clones of commercial stuff - software commodification, me-too nonsense - where's the vision in that?

The great days of open source type software - when we saw Mosaic, the Internet protocols and much more - appear to be gone.

Re:There's nothing new.

[sacdelta]

There are at least 2 additional things that I believe are largely responsible for the recent drop in attendance that are directly the fault of the people who are organizing COMDEX.

1) The way they handled the merging of the two venues. "Oh, Creative, we don't think you'll mind giving up the prime real estate for this location in the back corner." This decision drove out most of the multimedia people last year (I don't know if they came back this year). But even the thought that they might do the same thing again on such short notice has kept me from even considering a return this year.

2) They are charging more for the small booths causing fewer businesses to use them. These booths are a major incentive for many people to show up. Everyone knows they can go on Microsoft's or IBM's website to see what they are up to, but it was very convenient to go to the show and see a bunch of smaller companies and see what they had available all in one place. But with higher fees, they are systematically driving those people out.

These are things that weren't outside of their control.

Re:There's nothing new.

[Anonymous Coward]

"There's nothing new out there."

Good thing you can still go to Macworld then. :)

Re:There's nothing new.

[Reziac]

It's not just Comdex. We've been going to Spring InternetWorld (or whatever they called it this year) for several years; it's handy and free and has generally had enough Interesting Stuff to keep us occupied for most of the day.

This year -- it wasn't worth the effort to drive downtown. Hardly any major vendors (and some didn't even bother to keep their booths manned), not many smallfry, and what we did see were mostly same old same old, or one-note wannabes (all singing the same tune). The only interesting booth (a security vs hacking demo) decided to blow off their afternoon presentation so we didn't even get to see that (tho they did give us a shirt for our interest -- only swag we found all day). We'd run out of stuff to look at inside of an hour and a half.

Anyway, next year we won't be going.

one good thing that happened..

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft getting a blue screen when hooking up a scanner to a computer with Windows 98.. that, my friend, is classic :-)

Booth swag

[superflippy]

The only thing I've ever got out of attending COMDEX is a horrible flu.

You must not have been trying hard enough. I managed to score a plastic slinky, a stress ball, and a T-shirt that says "WAN Downtime is not an option!"

COMDEX ... People don't get it

[salesgeek]

I've been to a few COMDEX shows. The industry is changing forever.

* Usually there are revolutionary small vendors with products or software that will be the next big thing.

* The big guys give out a lot of free stuff... but don't really do anything other than brand building.

* I usually make business relationships that pay for the entire show within 60 days of the event.

I'd hate to see Comdex go... but it is not as it was in the early and late 90s.

$G

Re:COMDEX ... People don't get it

[Anonymous Coward]

but it is not as it was in the early and late 90s.

But then again, nothing is.

"Apple Computer": A Ridiculous LIberal Myth

[Anonymous Coward]

For years, liberals and pinkos have rattled on and on about supposedly "superior" computers produced by the California lefties at Apple Computer. I will explain why this company is nothing more than a front for the International Communist Conspiracy, aided and abetted by their liberal fellow-travelers in the American computer community.

This so-called "company" was founded by a pair of dope-smoking phone service thieves from Berkeley, a hotbed of Communist activity even today. "Apple Computer" supposedly went on to pioneer a graphical interface - actually developed by the good American patriots at Xerox - and develop its own hardware monopoly, just as its Communist creators would impose a state monopoly on all computer-using Americans.

For a short time, this Red front tried to infiltrate the American business community by facetiously engaging in free trade practices, but this only served to disillusion its enthralled socialist followers who complained about a supposed drop in quality. What they really couldn't stand, like all liberals, was choice and capitalism. They only returned to "Apple" when it returned to its old crypto-Stalinist practices.

"Apple Computer" is nothing more than a liberal-backed fifth column intended to subvert the American computer industry, and ultimately bankrupt good capitalist companies such as Microsoft and Intel. "Apple" isn't the only front group run by the International Communist Conspiracy. "Sun Microsystems" engages in similar monopolistic practices, trying to enforce a single hardware and software standard on all users, instead of the choices offered by Microsoft. Worst of all are the smaller Red fronts using the communist Linux operating system, with names like "Mandrake" (a French front, of course), and even really obvious ones like Red Hat! Linux is distributed under a Commie license that forces developers to give away the fruits of their labour, just as Marx ordered all good Communists to work as much as they could for a pittance in return in an illusory equal society.

All of these so-called companies are just fronts for Communists and liberal fellow-travellers. Remember, when you buy Apple or download Linux, you're supporting Communism. Good Americans support real freedom-loving businesses like Microsoft and Intel.

Laugh at me now, remember me later when you're all forced to used slow computers with horrid interfaces foisted upon an enslaved public by the commissars who used to fester in American business under the liberal myth that they were an independent company that loved capitalism called Apple Computer.

Re:"Apple Computer": A Ridiculous LIberal Myth

[pcs305]

Bill?

Re:"Apple Computer": A Ridiculous LIberal Myth

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry Bill Gates is a left-wing liberal asshole. He's currently trying to quadruple the population of Africa and India singlehandedly with billions of dollars swindled from White America with his Windows monopoly.

Measure in..

[jav1231]

The success of most of these shows is usually measured in how many t-shirts I get. >

trade show industry

[Twillerror]

The tradeshow industry is hurting everywhere. Not just comdex. This is a function of the economy, coupled with a lack of new products to sell.

Companies are cutting back across the board. Saving money by not presenting, or not sending you employees is a good way to do this.

I work for a company that provides travel service for exhibition companies. Key3 media ( company hosting comdex ) is not the only one hurting. After 9/11 people have just stopped wanting to travel to these things.

It may also be that people are realizing their true worth. In some sectors trade shows are very valuable. You actually sell something to someone, most tech shows are commercials you have to pay to see. I mean what does going to comdex to see the launch of the NV30 really accomplish. It is more of a marketing platform.

It may also be that, like many things in the last 5 years, the show got bloated. Many of the attendees where just hobbiests, with no real purpose other then to walk around, gauk, and collect worthless business cards. I think the fat is getting trimmed, and we are just going to have to get used to.

Best thing of Comdex in Las Vegas

[Anonymous Coward]

Adultdex :P

Re:Carly's hot!

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, I'd pretty much fuck a wall if Carly were on the other side of it.

Is it a coincidence

[Shade, The]

That when I loaded up the page there was an IBM advert that showed a load of empty cubicles?

COMDEX used to be big

[Junks Jerzey]

Just to keep people from saying it's always been useless: COMDEX was _the_ big computer show in the early to mid-1980s, the one that all the magazines would run stories about.

Anything important ever happen at comdex

[Samarian Hillbilly]

Are you kidding? I once got laid there!

Re:Anything important ever happen at comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

With a true-life geekette or some marketing girl?

Re:Anything important ever happen at comdex

[Anonymous Coward]

I suppose "I once got laid there" sounds better than the truth... "I once made fun of Windows XP in front of the MS booth, and the Microsoft guys took me out back, bent me over a chair, and administered some "prison justice"...

Comdex.

[grub]

The numbers are in and the reality is grim...

Comdex is dying

Netcraft's statistics are meaningless in this, nor are user number and quantity of downloads. Theo de Raadt estimates there are more OpenBSD users than Comdex attendees.. well.. no, he's never said this (to my knowledge).
Infighting in the FreeBSD camp seems remarkably similar to the behind-the-doors battles at Comdex HQ.. well.. that's an assumption on both parts..

Mark my words..Comdex is dying!

This is no different than training attendance

[krinsh]

When companies face economic difficulty, a majority of them cut training and trade show attendance. So, if your company paid you to go, you no longer go unless you are the CEO (hey I made a ryhme). If you normally pay out of your own pocket for something like this; you likely can't take the risk that your job will be gone when you come back this year; or your retirement account has tanked so bad that not only working vacations are cancelled so are the regular ones. It's not just the threat of terrorism that has hurt choice vacation spots the past 15 months or so.

Linux and Java will bring down MS

[Anonymous Coward]

It is nice to see a company like Sun to stand up
against a bully and nazi company like Microsoft and hitler Bill Gates.

The future is not far away when Java and Linux will bring down this Beast MS.

Open Source is the way of future not matter what MS marketing negative ad says . They submit false documents showing Java and Linux is lesser than .Not and windozes but consumer knows the truth.

XP, XBOX are running in loss sooner or later money will run out in MS.

MS the next ENRON.

I used these fairs and exhibitions to...

[marathonmannen]

...stock up my supplies on ball-point pens. At least something you can bring back home besides the flu. Never needed to buy one during the year and my supplies will probably last for a couple of years more...

If only trade shows weren't giant comercials

[kberg108]

and instead were places to actually get usefull information. Wouldn't that be a wonderfull thing.

Sales

[whereiswaldo]

Comdex is for sales people. Don't believe me? Count the number of people wearing propeller hats, army pants, and offensive T-shirts.

Re:Sales

[Anonymous Coward]

HEY I dress that way to KEEP the salesman AWAY!!!

HP needs a better slogan!

[clickety6]

"(Customer) + HP = Everything is Possible"

How much did that instantly forgettable slogan cost them, I wonder. It hardly trips off the tongue, does it, and I'm not even sure it actually makes a lot of sense written as it is. Waht's wrong with actually using English to write a slogan - "With you and HP, everything is possible".

I'm sure Slashdot can come up with something a lot better and more appropriate than HP's management...

Re:HP needs a better slogan!

[3dr]

They have sold out to the algebraic monolith and have forgotten their roots.

Customer
HP
+
=> Everything is Possible

Re:HP needs a better slogan!

[Helen O'Boyle]

Somebody please mod up as Funny the immediate parent to this, that points out the algebraic nature of the slogan.

Sigh, I used up my mod points yesterday.
--
* Helen *

Stupid Umbrella

[Frank of Earth]

I remmeber the last computer tech thing I went to, similar to Comdex, absolutely sucked. People were walking around scurrying for free pens.

In fact, Novell was there (remember them?), and they were giving away free umbrellas. You can't imagine how many idiots were waiting in a line that wrapped at least 10 rows for some stupid umbrella.

Yep

[Anonymous Coward]

But now we get to hear about all the competition Microsoft has put under instead. Isn't "progress" great? Now Microsoft gets all our money, and they wonder why Comdex is so boring... At least Bill is spending our money on self-aggrandizing "philanthropic" missions. What a swell guy he is. :starry eyes:

It's not just one thing....

[SwedishChef]

that is causing ComDex to decline. It's a combination of things. The computing world is so diverse now that no single event could even begin to cover it all. That, combined with the simple fact that innovation has moved away from the MS and PC platforms means that we now have to choose where we go based on our special needs and interests.

In the 90s the PC world was pretty simple but in 2002 just the PDAs alone could form a convention! Add to that the special needs of data center people (another convention there, for sure), various server-based architectures, and engineering/scientific types and you have three "shows" where before Comdex tried to fill all these niches (or the niches didn't even exist).

And then there are all the former Comdex exhibitors who no longer exist. The disappearance of VC capital to fund the extravagant give-aways for products that were less than vaporware has taken a lot of the fuel from the Comdex fire. Not to mention all the employees who now work in the fast-food business.

The only way Comdex can survive is by creating their own "specialty events" (which, to give them credit, they tried to do). The most successful show I ever attended had several well-attended pavilions with like-minded exhibitors grouped together. So if you were interested in PDAs then Visor and Palm and others were close together. The last show I went to had too much diversity, no organization, and little coherance. They sold space to anyone who wanted to exhibit, from massage chairs to toys to automobile dealers.

I think that unless Comdex can find their way back to the core of technology they are history.

How was the parent flamebait?

[mao che minh]

You guys need to pick mods better. Just because someone has a different opinion then you DOES NOT MAKE IT A FLAME, OR HIM OR HER A TROLL. Fucking cock sucker.

Ok, venting done, proceed.

SIGGRAPH

[malducin]

It's been tough all around. SIGGRAPH has scaled back but at least they saved enough and reorganized so that the Conference could go on. They actually mention the situation Comdex and others are going through:

State of the SIGGRAPH Conference

Booth bitches are better at E3 anyway!

[Anonymous Coward]

nuf said.

Some friends are at Comdex

[jloukinas]

Some buddies of mine are there.. they decided the show was stupid so they are touring hoover dam right now.

How about JobDex? Give us a fair to find jobs.

Comdex? Porndex!

[Anonymous Coward]

Apparently all the geeks went next door to see the famed Adultdex!

First and Last Post

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't it a bit early to invoke Godwin's Law?

First and Last Post

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't it a bit early to invoke Godwin's Law?

last one I attended

[zogger]

--the last comdex I attended (worked at)was the year the combined brain power of the comdex event organizers (interface group then? I've forgotten now, too many shows)and the atlanta convention and visitor's bureau scheduled comdex the same time as the black students spring break, "freaknik". All of us native Atlanta workers KNEW it was gonna suck, and be terrible and a disaster, and so it was. Hysterically funny in retrospect. It's like all these mega brains and high paid people couldn't bingo to the sheer utter mess it would cause and do a little emergency tradeshow re routing and scheduling.

With that said, they sure used to have some nice boothbabes going way back. Not as good as the sporting goods SuperShow or the larger car shows, but still respectable.

It MUST be important

[Soulfader]

Let's be realistic, does anything important really ever happen at COMDEX? The only thing I've ever got out of attending COMDEX is a horrible flu.

It MUST be important--it has its own graphic on /. =)

Why I quit going

[sphix42]

I went for seven years in a row but I don't need to go again because, during my last trip, I finally won a SoundBlaster.

yeah, down w/ comdex

[dextr0us]

this year's comdex would probably be the new low point in the computer show's history. If the economy starts doing better, with more computer jobs, i'm fully planning to attend again, since comdex will be cool again. (assuming their not bankrupt)

Pirate Treasure?

[Anonymous Coward]

Girl booty is much better than button booty. The trunk, the back, dat ass, the night shaker, the shelf on which our dreams rest, the midnight moniker, the slippery salvation fresh from shower, the almighty booty. And it just walked out the door with me.

Hey, nice button!

Slow year

[James Littiebrant]

This has been a bad year for the tech industry so i would expect a smaller comdex this year. But this year you might be able to do something at comdex instead of waiting in a line. Comdex will bounce back in the years to come(i hope).

Another possible explanation? Specialization...

[ChristianBaekkelund]

IMHO, it would seem that besides the usual suspects (dot.com bubble burst + bad overall economy + etc. etc.), probably the biggest possible additional explanation is the emergency and success of smaller more "specialized" trade shows...

Namely, 'back in the day' COMDEX used to be this super generic very large-scale trade show about "computers" and such. That was back when you *could* have one trade show just about computers. Now there's no longer really just a "computer industry" so much as there is a "storage media industry" and a "office productivity software industry" and so on.

Look at E3...you need a huge entire tradeshow just for games alone, so if you were a game developer, why would you send rep.s to COMDEX?...nah, send 'em to E3. And so on and so on...of course, if your Apple, you just make your own convention...heh.

Deficit is flow, Debt is stock

[ranchdudes]

At least in financial lingo, Deficit is a flow, Debt is a stock. Therefore, deficit increases debt. Debt can be paid back. Deficit can be reduced. Typically governements do neither willingly.

Re:Deficit is flow, Debt is stock

[MacAndrew]

You know the old expression, "Do what I meant, not what I said!!"

Waste of time, effort

[yroJJory]

I used to attend COMDEX, but it became a waste of time. From a professional standpoint, COMDEX is now 100% consumer, with such a neglible amount of professional exhibitors that I couldn't justify the cost of the plane ticket.

This came to my attention when I last attended. I needed to talk to Oracle for a Dot.Bomb I was working for. It took me 2 days to find them! They had hidden themselves above the exhibition floor in a spot you'd never guess had any product exhibitors in! And, when we went up there to discuss their expensive products, they ran us through a series of tests to make sure we were really interested in their products, not just some average consumer stopping at every booth.

What a waste of time!

Re:AMD-apple link - I hope Not

[kannibal_klown]

I'm thinking about "switching", it has nothing to do with that high girl on tv... reallly. Anyway, one of the reasons I want to switch is I HAVE an AMD system. While it runs great, it runs HOT. I'm literally glad it's close to winter so I can run my PC 24/7 and use it as a space-heater. I mean, you need the propeller from a C-5 Galaxy to cool the CPU. My room starts to get warm and stuffy after like an hour of use. Seriously though, one of the things I like about Macs (besides being stable and all-around awesome) is that they tend to run pretty cool. Heck, up until recently, they didn't even NEED fans. Now, besides CPU and motherboard death, you need to worry about melting the neat plastic casing of the shiny-looking Macs.

COMDEX attendance

[willpost]

First, they're refusing a publisher in, even after Kircaali presented his press credentials, photo id, and his business card:
"We know SYS-CON Media and we know you, however you need to show us your press credentials and bring us copies of your work. We can not issue a press/media badge for you at this time."

Second, Carly was boasting of how she cut out the "boring" basic research from HP:
"Carly's newest message, which is - basically - that HP isn't any longer the boring old printing and imagine specialist, it's a 'full-service' computer company, offering end-to-end solutions."
"While the demand for technology for its own sake may be down, the need for technology that solves real human and business problems is stronger than it has ever been."

Demand for basic research comes from a desire to discover and improve, not by those that only seek the visible profits on the easy branches of the tech tree.
It's like trying to explain farming to "hunter-gatherers".

Comdex hasn't been Comdex in years

[Lord Kestrel]

It used to be a premier location to find out what's new in the world, and what kind of trend the computer industry was looking at. It's been probably 8-10 years since that was the case though.

It's at the point now where it's so large, and there is so little useful information to find there, that no one wants to go anymore. And now that they're selling all the information of anyone who attends, less people want to go, as who would pay to sign up for spam?

The only thing I have ever gotten from comdex...

[Anonymous Coward]

is an fscking 500mg shot of penicilian!!!!

If they really wanted to increase attendance...

[Anonymous Coward]

they should hold the damn thing in India, thats where most of the techies are these days anyway!!!!

Change location

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe they should change locations. How come they don't have big computer shows in the south? How about Atlanta? or Birmingham? Those of us in the south who are into technology would love to have something like that here.

I never understood...

[The Raven]

... the whole 'get free stuff' mentality that many convention goers have. I almost never get the T-Shirts or pens or whatever because I simply don't care. I go to see the products... not even the booth babes will sway my attention.

I don't understand the concept of spending over $1000 on tickets and hotels just to gawk at boobs and pick up some free T-Shirts.

If you want a T-Shirt, visit a damn mall... it'll cost a lot less.

Re:I never understood...

[larsoncc]

Yeah, it cost a whopping $26 to go to the show (gas and a lunch). It was our company's way of showing that they want us to learn new technoloy - so long as it's local, it's inexpensive, and doesn't take long. Same goes for training.

There's almost no show worth my company (or god forbid, me!) spending $1000 to attend.

If I wasn't in Health Care, I'd say there are 2 shows worth the money - CeBit (from what I heard), and E3. Cause... Who wouldn't want to go to E3?!?

But these shows aren't really about product anymore either. They're about networking (as in sales networking) and services. The COMDEX show I went to was almost exclusively Cell Phone companies doing nothing more than showing their latest rate plans for business.

It was sad.

Re:I never understood...

[ergo98]

I completely agree with you. People seem to have some sort of mega cheap gene that comes out at times like that. Every now and then at Union Station in Toronto there is some Something Or Other Association giving out Something Or Other (for example peaches), and people herd like madmen to get whatever free is being given out...it's always something that would cost you less than $0.20 to buy with your own money. These people, many of whom stomp the accelerator to make up a spare second, waste the time to get something so incredibly cheap.

The same thing holds for COMDEX. I went several times, each time seemingly with coworkers who would sit through pathetic demonstrations and weasle up to booth employees all in the hopes of getting some piece of crap or other. The only nice thing that I ever got from a comdex was a little fabric SQL Server frisbee. Oh, and a spider ball. That was pretty cool too. Everything else was loads of half-fun crap pens and super-low threadcount with cheesy iron-on style decals t-shirts.

Prices on Slashdot scare everyone away

[heroine]

Well if $2000 settop box/PC's, a $150 PDA wristwatch, another $300 handheld organizer, and a $150 cell phone which gives you 56k internet access for 3 months is all there is, there isn't much need to go. Maybe if the prices on slashdot weren't so terrifying, someone would go.

Second COMDEX featured deadly hotel fire

[Anonymous Coward]

I see online that the first COMDEX was in 1979, and had c. 4000 attendess and about 160 exhibitors.

And as a footnote, it was during the second COMDEX (Nov 22, 1980) that the MGM Grand (now Bally's) had the fire that killed about 85 people. Supposedly about eight victims were staff of vendors there for the show. Attendance that year was about 9,000

And does anyone else recall that COMDEX stands for Computer Dealer Expo, from back in the days when you bought computers at little "Mom and Pop" specialty stores?...

TWR, Torrance, CA

No, really, best things about Comdex:

[bobdehnhardt]

• Free t-shirts: I never packed more that a couple days' worth of shirts. Wore freebies most of the week.
  
• 24-hour beer/booze, no last call
  
• AdultDex provided look at cutting edge multimedia (lets face it, pron pushed this envelope long before the game makers)
  
• Insightful Comdex seminars (paid for by work) provided opportunity to sleep after 24-hour booze/beer and AdultDex "sessions"

Make up your own mind....

[Anonymous Coward]

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/execteam/bios/fiorina.htm l

You've still got an office?

[mlh1996]

Title says it all, unfortunately.

And another one

[Anonymous Coward]

My God, will someone please show this loser a vagina?

One or the Other

[Anonymous Coward]

You are a retard, a troll, or a MCSE. In any case, shut the fuck up.

Re:One or the Other

[Anonymous Coward]

You are a retard, a troll, or a MCSE. Greatest. Slash-quote. Ever.

Re:One or the Other

[Anonymous Coward]

YHBT.

Did they spot

[Anonymous Coward]

Worldcom? As I said before, retard, troll, or MCSE, SHUT THE FUCK UP.

Re:Did they spot

[91degrees]

Curious....

You seem angry with me. You also seem to contradict yourself.

You say you want me to shut up, yet before that, you ask a question. Perhaps I have simply misunderstood the phrase, and "the fuck" is an entity which can be closed.

So, anyway, in answer to your question - some of them may have done. I didn't, but I was lucky enough not to have any money invested in Worldcom. I instead tend to focus on the ironically named "high risk" investments.

You also seem a rather angry at MCSEs. Could it be that you are angry that most people with reasonable intelligence can pass the exam. Are you bitter that you failed?

Cost of Attending Comdex in 1997

[marcuscole]

The last time that I attended COMDEX Airfare from Mpls... $250 Hotel, the Frontier... $600 Comdex Rate......... $1000 (not quite sure) Ticket to see Dennis Miller BMNF $75 (Before Monday Night Football) Look on face of colleague as the first bare breasted dancer prances across the stage at a Bally's show she has taken very conservative and straight-laced boss to......... priceless. I don't think I've ever really seen that shade of red before and don't think that I ever will again.

Once Again.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Someone show this pathetic dick-beater a vagina...

Re:Once Again.....

[Anonymous Coward]

Seriously. Someone rent this poor virgin a hooker - ignore the booth babes??? What are you thinking?

Re:AMD-apple link - I hope Not

[Anonymous Coward]

I mean, you need the propeller from a C-5 Galaxy to cool the CPU.

Hey nigger, C-5s are jets, they don't have a propeller.

Just like Linuxworld..

[EvilStein]

Ahh.. I have a good percentage of my wardrobe thanks to LinuxWorld Expo. :-)

Funny how those dumb bastards at Dell always showed up with friggin *medium t-shirts* - morons. They should know that fat lazy programmers need a XXL size at least.

SuSE had cool shirts too!

And I still get stupid comments about my "I'm a member!" shirt from the OSDN. All that I went through to get a t-shirt and a CD of "The Sounds of Slashdot." I actually pondered making mp3s out of that CD and putting everything on Napster, too. heh.

Comdex 95

[Mittermeyer]

I was at Comdex 1995.

*Microsoft was just rolling out Win95,
*the Newton fanatics were having their last lovefest,
*Sony demoed DVD,
*Novell told us our refrigerators were going to be hooked up to a network,
*PowerPC had a tent with actual applications but an air of desperation about it,
*Lotus Notes was pushing it's relatively new thing,
*Citrix was trying to sell people on physical Winterms,
*no one knew how to spell internet,
*SSA disks were introduced,
*the K-series of processors were coming,
*the Alpha motherboard hackers held court,
*and there was one teeny tiny Linux booth with the most kickass demo there.

So in other words Comdex is a place where you can see the past, present and future if you have the wits to look for and recognize it. But you will still get your butt kicked by surprises.

LinuxWorld wasn't so hot either..

[EvilStein]

It's been getting smaller and smaller as time goes on, and the free stuff has been getting sparse, too.

It's not just Comdex.

Re:Comdex & CES & Adult Expo

[Anonymous Coward]

It should also inclue CES's Adult Expo !!!

Spam...

[seebs]

I got spam from Comdex, despite multiple complaints.

You're lucky, Taco

[Anonymous Coward]

The only thing I've ever got out of attending COMDEX is a horrible flu.

Count your blessings...at least you didn't come home with the clap

COMDEX has come full circle

[Bwah]

A while back you could go to comdex and find little, low glitz, booths with neat stuff. As the PC and consumer computing market took off, COMDEX started to cater to the new audience. If attendance is slacking off, maybe things have finally come full circle and you will see more research type stuff in the future.

Not that I believe this of course, but it is a nice thought.

dangit....

[I kan Spl]

I forgot it was this week.... =( I would've gone too if I didnt have classes, work, and family obligations....

Libelous sensationalism

[mazor]

Anyone who actually read the referenced sys-con article would notice two things:

a) The article contains no factual reference to Comdex attendence (except a headline quoted from slashdot, which itself is a headline quoting the sys-con article...) and
b) The author of the sys-con article has been slighted by the Comdex press club

How better for an unknown journalist to "get even" with Comdex? Toss a misleading headline at a high-traffic site like Slashdot! "Nobody at slashdot will actually notice my fiendish ploy! Muwhahaha"

Congratulations. You've been used, Slashdot.

Dr. Network Has AIDS

[Anonymous Coward]

It appears you've made a few typos in your post. Given the fact that you are a homosexual, the only types of lap dances that would appeal to you would involve a grown man's anus being bandied about in front of your waiting mouth. In other words, how you and your father spent your teenage years.

Also, you don't know how to fix cars. You are an interior decorator, not a mechanic.

Fuck you fag.

Last Post!

[alpg]

Carelessly planned projects take three times longer to complete than expected.
Carefully planned projects take four times longer to complete than expected,
mostly because the planners expect their planning to reduce the time it takes.

- this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...