Review Of LinuxWorld 2004

jamienk writes "I went to the LinuxWorld convention at the Javits Center in NYC again this year. This is where the post-post-industrial corporate complex flexes for us consumers and infrastructure staff to see. And the smell of Corps was thick in the air. So was the nerdy, curious, driven, hacker odor. Guess which vibe won?"

Comments

Been there, done that

[a XOR b XOR a XOR b]

I know all these journalism sites have to write stories about the supposedly big announcements and "new" technologies that come out at linux world, but to be honest there's exactly one reason I go year after year: Hanging out with the people there. It forges relationships that can be carried on well past the end of the convention. I'm glad all that desktop stuff was demoed, and I know it's important for the future of linux, but the best thing by far was making connections with like-minded geeks.

Re:Been there, done that

[KrispyKringle]

Really? I know the reason I go. One word: schwag.

Let's see...free marshmallow sandwitches from Computer Associates (wtf?), a free T-Shirt from PogoLinux (don't think I'll wear that one anywhere except maybe to the gym), a Google pen, a HP water bottle, a Microsoft mini-radio (again, wtf?), a couple of BSD stickers, a few free CD's from Sun (Java Desktop System live-eval), and, if my luck holds out, maybe I'll win that Porsche from RedHat! :P

I'm just bummed I didn't win one of the CA Tux scarves. Woulda kept me warm on the way home.

comments on the crowd

[theMerovingian]

from article:
They look like Nerds, but somehow lack the fear, the self-consciousness, and the "loser" qualities so often attributed to their kind.

I'm not sure if that's a compliment, or not!

Corps?

[zonix]

And the smell of Corps was thick in the air.

Am I the only one who read that as corpses at first? :-)

z

Re:Corps?

[Plug]

Am I the only one, when given the link to the winning vibe, worried it might be something to do with this guy? :-)

great swag though

[Anonymous Coward]

I walked out with a RH Enterprise 3.0 WS distro (thanks, RedHat), a SuSE SLES 8 developer edition, a SuSE 8 full distro (thanks SuSE), plus Fedora CDs for cow-orkers, 7 t shirts and a blanket. The Oracle / Linux installfest on wednesday night was fun: free food, free beer and free (proprietary and free) software (this I already pay for as an oracle customer, but it was still a nice gesture).
Too bad that 10g db wasn't ready for prime time.

I think I'll make the trip up to Boston next year.

the Pogo Linux servers looked pretty sweet.

I missed the BSD babes of previous years.

Pd

Re:great swag though

[kfg]

Indeed. Here in the upstate NY/southern Vermont border region we have sensitivity to these matters and refer to them with respect as "Bovine-American Hominid Production Partners."

KFG

Wasn't SCO there?

[91degrees]

I'm sure they would have loved the chance to pick a up lot of potential customers for their code licencing initiative. After all, surely everyone there was using their code.

First time @ LinuxWorld

[Shant3030]

I went to LinuxWorld on Thursday and it was my first time... some thoughts.

Good to see the large companies trying to get a piece of the linux pie.sigh Buzzwords were flying all over the place. Fed up, I started asking exhibitors at large companies for "scalable enterprise solutions". Most had answers! lol...

The .org pavillion rocked. By far the most knowledgeable and friendly people in the place. Spoke to some of the good people at geekcorps, FSF and gentoo. One thing I will never understand... why were the people at LILUG playing that stupid dancing game? They looked like a bunch of fools.

We sat in on a keynote Thursday afternoon, "The Impact of Open Standards on the Technology Industry". Absolutely useless. I was quiet amused at the people feverishly taking notes on very general topics.

Good experience, learned alot and will probably attend next year.

Re:First time @ LinuxWorld

[Devil]

We were not playing Dance Dance Revolution, we were playing PyDance, a from-scratch DDR lookalike that was written by one of the guys on our mailing list; it runs off a Linux box. It's just so well done that you thought it was regular DDR.

Re:First time @ LinuxWorld

[CaptainCarrot]

How was the .org Pavillion arranged?

I first went to a LWE in San Jose back in 1998, I think. At that time, the pavillion was arranged as a group of reserved booth spaces surrounding a common area. It was a great setting for socializing, seeing what was going on among the genuine geeks, and just hanging out. (The free pinball and driving game helped too.) In later years, it devolved into a couple of rows of standard booths with aisles in the middle. There was no "common space", and the .org reps were more or less stuck in their booths with no real way of socializing among themselves, at least during hours. It was a much less congenial environment.

I'm very much hoping they've gone back to the older arrangement.

they're not even co-branded

[Anonymous Coward]

"Novel: SUSE is presented as completely separate from Novel, they're not even co-branded (yet?)."

the SuSE standard edition CD set was a co-branded distro, including both Novell and SuSE software.
If you install off of the UnitedLinux CD, its UnitedLinux. If you install off of the SuSE 1 CD, its Suse.

UnitedLinux is dead, thanks to Darl.
Maybe it will be revived after SCO (CalderaSCO) is dead.

Having left the show with such a distro, I can fully state (evidence in hand) that his point is wrong.

Pd

Re:"scalability"

[jmlyle]

buzzword n.

1. A word or phrase connected with a specialized field or group that usually sounds important or technical and is used primarily to impress laypersons: Sensitivity is the buzzword in the beauty industry this fall (ADWEEK).
2. A stylish or trendy word or phrase.

Well, I guess the difference is that scalability is used to impress managers, not laypersons.

lol

[theNote]

The KDE people really impressed me. At one point one of them wanted to show me how you can write simple javascripts to create full KDE apps or dock applets. He didn't have it installed though, so he decided to download it from the net; there was a compatibility problem with the binary, so he pulled the code from CVS; he didn't want to wait for a long compile, so he decided to use the other processors on the LAN, but to do that he needed icecream; he pulled that from CVS... All this was done at a fast and furious pace, he had 10 or 12 shells running at the same time, was bouncing between them; other developers stuck their heads in: "which shell is patching...?" Development in action. It was cool.


Just when I was ready to try linux again, I read this paragraph and remembered why I got rid of it last time.

Re:lol

[jamienk]

Just when I was ready to try linux again, I read this paragraph and remembered why I got rid of it last time.

To be fair, this was developer software under development, not something for your average desktop user. Here's more info.

People forget

[Unregistered]

That corps are necessary for widespread adoption of linux. Sure the people they send too these shows are worthless, but important stuff does cope from corps as well as individuals. So don't gete too down on the corps since we wouldn't have come this far without them.

Rose-colored glasses

[PCM2]

Let the stuffed shirts and corporate bigwigs make money from the Free code. Let the pundits question what it will take for Linux to succeed on the Desktop. There is massive innovation in Linux userspace, driven by the same geeky joy that, in another era and in other fields is called "intellectual curiosity." That's what I see as the main force behind the Open Source movement; not corporate possibilities, as the LinuxWorld convention pretends, but brutal candor, mischievous smartness, self-mocking over-eagerness. The corporate successes of Linux are just the results of an overflow of energy, the excesses being mopped up. The hacker ethic is driving the corporations. We don't need them, but they need us.

Umm ... OK.

This guy's conclusion seems to be that LinuxWorld was overrun by corporations (read: evil) but that secretly the geeks were powering everything and they, in the long run, would "win out." Um -- huh?

I mean, that might be a nice way to think about things, but how really is the open source world any different than any other scientific endeavor? You've got gigantic automobile manufacturers, aerospace companies, drug companies ... Boeing, Ford, Glaxo, Archer Daniels-Midland, whatever. Yes, these are "evil" corporations doing "evil" things, but a large proportion of what constitutes the products they sell came out of academic research. Weird guys with beards, in laboratories, doing things for the sake of "intellectual curiosity." People squirting things into petri dishes, people pointing lasers at things to see what happens. And then the corporations buy it all up and make money off of it.

Does this surprise anyone?

• Researchers research.
• Tinkerers tinker.
• Businesses make money.

Aren't these pretty much the dictionary definitions, and hasn't that always been the case?

Sorry, but it just kills me when Linux geeks seem to think they're creating some kind of cultural/scientific revolution that somehow dwarfs past endeavors like, oh, the Saturn 5 rocket. And that, because of their personal ethics, they're going to somehow escape The Way the World Is, unlike Einstein, or Stephen Hawking, or John Nash, or whomever.

Nice world you must live in, buddy, but I'm not buying it.

Re:Rose-colored glasses

[jamienk]

Corporate technology companies have portrayed the computer as being driven by companies. Linux development has been driven by hackers. At Linux World, the corporations put their accomplishments and offerings front and center, but they still somehow get dwarfed by the independent developers, who are more creative, more excited, more genuine, and more fun. I have no problem with businesses making money, touting their wares, and spinning their services. But they are the less interesting side of the story, a predictable sideshow.

Re:Rose-colored glasses

[Anonymous Coward]

I myself have often thought that there is a startling percentage of GNU/Linux users who do not understand the concept of Free Software or Open Source and as a result, decide that any company looking to utilize either idea as a evil entity. In my mind, it all comes back to people thinking free software equates to zero cost. And with that being the case, and the majority of GNU/Linux software being zero cost as well as free, it has been determined that only evil bastards try to make a living off free software. Thus the anti corporate zealot is born. In my mind these are people who just don't get it. There is nothing wrong with making money off the GNU/Linux platform. Now, if one were to place a patent on the code used in GNU/Linux that would be another story.

Re:Rose-colored glasses

[crazyphilman]

Hang on, be fair. If everyone brings their straw man to slashdot at the same time, the resulting fire could kill us all. It would only take one stoner to set off the conflagration, ok? You know those bongs throw sparks from time to time.

Part of what you're saying is true. And part of what the other guy said was true. I think the TRUTH lies somewhere in the middle, like this:

Corporations, and people who buy into that whole mindset/lifestyle, are pretty boring and soulless. All they think about is money, so whenever they latch onto something cool or interesting, the best they can do is fake it and try and squeeze a buck out of it. It's like this guy I know, let's call him "M". Back when I was on speaking terms with him, I used to tell him about ideas I'd had, little things I was working on at home. He would ALWAYS evaluate them based on whether they could be "monetized". I would argue, "but wait, you don't understand; this is cool, it's not about money, it's about having it, playing with it..." And he would make fun of me. He would call me a "techie weenie".

Now, on the other hand, you have your true geeks, a group I consider myself a dyed-in-the-wool member of, albeit a moderate member. We do things because they're fun, although if there's money in it that DOES increase the fun a little bit. So, we'll build a system because it's interesting, or useful, or something we want but which we can't find anywhere. For example, I'm building myself a custom knowledge-management app because I'm tired of storing my source-code toolbox in a flat-file directory. Will there be money in it? Who knows? But it'll be USEFUL and FUN. Now, in contrast to the last guy, one of my friends, let's call him "D", heard a few of my ideas (the same ideas the other guy made fun of) and thought they were great. HE thought they should be done whether they make money or not, because it would be cool if they just EXISTED.

And, THIS is the difference between corporate and geek. It has nothing to do with revolution, or who's going to "win" or any other thing of that nature. It's a basic difference in mindset which results in two entirely different worlds coexisting in the same space.

The result of all this is that the vast majority of people are stuck with the boring, not particularly innovative stuff the corporations put out, and this isn't going to change, EVER. Because that's just how it is; boring people produce boring stuff for other boring people.

Us geeks will ALWAYS have cooler, more interesting tech than the rest of the people out there because WE BUILD IT OURSELVES from nothing. We pull this stuff right out of our heads, you know? Eventually some of that stuff finds its way into corporate imaginations, such as they are, and regular people get their hands on a watered down version of it. Look at how Comp USA is selling a staid, boring, plastic-panel "modded" PC, but the REAL enthusiasts are making systems regular people couldn't even imagine exist.

It's how it's supposed to be. Everybody relax; this is the nature of things, the form and structure of our world. Enjoy it.

2nd or 3rd time

[LinuxHam]

and it was but a mere shell of what it used to be.. at least I got to support the FSF by buying a nice-looking "Free Software/Free Society" t-shirt. Other than that, got the google pen and a good look at small displays that would be perfect for replacing my in-dash GPS display screen.. looking for one with multiple inputs. Oh, and I finally got a replacement Linux license plate. The one on my car now has "Compaq" in huge red letters on it, which isn't too cool as an IBM consultant. :) The new one has "OpenGroup" up there now.

Oh, and my vote for the most mis-guided individuals who have no idea how to make the conversion to Linux-for-business: the VOIP people who ran their setup on a chipped X-Box. Are you kidding me, people??? You want a business to buy your product, and you power your display with a video game console? The coolness factor drops way the hell off when you're trying to sell VOIP solutions. Build a damn PC. Jeez.

Anyone remember the IBM party in 2001? They rented out the whole upstairs, had an open bar, great music, a real BattleBots cage, and, well, an ice sculptor. But he cut out a damn fine Tux, too. THAT'S what I think of when I think about the days before the bust.

Re:"scalability"

[Trick]

It all depends how it's used, and why. Have you been subjected to any sales pitches lately? I have, and "scalability" is most definitely used as a meaningless buzzword much more often than I'd care to hear it.

The convention this year was awsome I hope...

[SirExar]

I'm really looking foward to this year's HOPE conference. It seems everythings on the uprise in the computer sector to me. 2600 alaways throws a good party hope it happens again

Ulterior motives?

[t0ny]

but the best thing by far was making connections with like-minded geeks

That, and hooking up with all the hot Linux groupies? Um, no.

Re:"scalability"

[radish]

But those are all perfectly useful words. You know how people make fun of us geeks because we make up all that jargon? (WIMP, GUI, IDE, SCSI, ATAPI, RS232, ...) Well we do it because we need words to describe the things we're talking about. Business is the same. "Enterprise" means something. It means a large company. "Engineer" is a good word for what I do, seeing as I have a degree in Software Engineering from an engineering university. I'm happy to be called an engineer. "Scalable" means something which can be expanded to handle more transactions per second, or more storage, or whatever, easily. That's not a common thing - I've worked on many older (and some newer) systems which certainly are NOT scalable. So using it as a differentiating factor when trying to sell me a product is GOOD. Of course, just telling me it's scalable isn't enough, but people sell cars by saying they're "comfortable", or "safe" or "ecnomical". There's no difference. It gets me kind of mad when I hear one bunch of smart people completely dissing another bunch of smart people just because they don't understand them, or think they're "better". It just shows you've got a closed mind and a serious superiority complex. Get over it. If it wasn't for big business paying the bills, there would be no software industry, and most /. ers would be working at McDonalds.

Re:"scalability"

[kfg]

I don't work in the software industry. I never have. I don't expect I ever will. My first contract out of college was as head automotive engineer for a small outfit developing electric cars.

I'm an entreprenuer. A businessman. I like business. I've got a copy of "The Art of Selling" right over there on my shelf, next to the Halliday & Resnick. But I grew up in a hard core marketing family (marketing development manager for GE Broadcasting Corporation) and have a finely tuned nose for the stink of hype. It isn't that I think I'm better, I just know when I'm being hustled. I've been the hustler.

And you're absolutely right by making the comparison to the way cars are sold. I've been top management at a dealership specializing in exotics and collectables.

Unfortunately that comparison makes my point. Not yours, "safe," "comfortable," and "economical" having little to no meaning within the context they are used when selling cars. Especially since cars are overtly dangerous, uncomfortable and damned expensive to purchase and own (possibly more expensive than your home even).

All they do is make you, as you say, "happy" about the words and thus more inclined to buy the car.

Yes, within certain contexts those words have real meaning. Outside of those contexts, like in a sales pitch, they are pure buzzword gobblegook designed explicitly to fleece the "mark" and make one's quota.

By the way, have you read "Ogilvy on Advertising"? Brilliant man. Brilliant marketer. You don't pay attention to what he has to say at your company's peril.

KFG

it was kinda strange actually

[superfast-scooter]

it was my first linuxworld. im a reasonably new user of linux (started a few months ago.)
now, i only went on the last day (boy was it freezing here.)
i didnt know what to expect, i guess - but i sure expected a lot less corporate "types". most of the big names were out with their shiny new servers, and enterprise software (both not interesting to me.)

the MS booth was as big as Redhat - and I noticed that everytime they clicked on anything a window with something on SCO would come up. they were promoting MS services for unix by saying it sits closer to the kernel, hence faster - unlike cygwin which being an app would have to go a few layers down. well, d-oh!! i wont even bother saying anything bout closed source here and how anyone could do what they did if we had the kernel cos well, they didnt seem like they were having a good time either.

gentoo had a nice lot (maybe the goth chick had some to do with that...), and so did suse, sun and amd.

i came back with lots of brochures and no freebies - maybe thats why i was disappointed. :)

My impressions

[parkanoid]

The AMD people were surprisingly clueless. I asked a few of them which socket a particular opteron system on display was using (Looked like it was 939), but most of them started mumbling "socket? what do you mean?", or worse. Some of the systems they had up were pretty cool though, like the dual opteron rackmounts with watercooling.
The sun booth was another disappointment in terms of the staff. I wanted to see how reponsive the Sun Rays were, so I walked up to one of their public terminals and started looking around, starting a couple applications, etc. The nearby sales drone stood and glared at me, as if I was going to steal the bloody thing, the entire time (after asking "May I help you?" in that "What the fuck are you doing here, kid, get lost!" tone). I just walked away.
Other corporate booths were similar; either the staff didn't know that much beyond their script, or they didn't want to talk to me, by the benefit of me being a high school student (i.e. a PFY). It's appropriate, I suppose, since I'm not going to be making any million-dollar purchases anytime soon, but still not cool. The IBM booth was a notable exception; one guy showed me GeoProbe, a very neat visualization system. The program had two sets of seismological data loaded from an oil field in England (several square kilometers), and it could be manipulated in real time in various ways. It was running under RHEL 3.0 on a prototype opteron with only 4GB of ram; pretty impressive, considering the complexity of the model. In the mainframe section, two engineers showed me the new zSeries servers, and explained how the hardware worked. Really cool guys (both the mainframe and GeoProbe people), knew their stuff and were really friendly. Otherwise, Oracle's grid seemed promising, but I wasn't able to get too many technical details.
In the .ORG section we had the usual debian, BSD and Linuxboot people, fun to talk with as always. Didn't get a conversation going with the Gentoo or KDE guys, but the projects were still pretty interesting. EFF wasn't here this year, unfortunately, meant to buy some stickers.
O'Reilly had a pretty good deal on books, 25% off and a free shirt (the shirts only lasted through the first half of the day). Honeynet gave a pretty interesting presentation in the back of the O'Reilly booth.
There was also a robot rolling around the show floor, Sprocket (not sure of the spelling, it might have been different). It demonstrated pretty impressive speech recognition capabilities, talked to the presenters, made crude jokes and movie references. It seemed pretty capable of sustaining normal conversation and was able to recognize people based on their clothing (although it misinterpreted blue lettering on my t-shirt as a blue jacket). Unfortunately, I didn't get to talk to it for more than a couple of minutes.

"from the Y2***-is-the-year-of-desktop-linux dept"

[LeninZhiv]

timothy, man, come on! /. editors need to have basic wildcard skills:

2* already means "any year starting with 2"; for single-digit substitution use ?:
2??? is the year of desktop linux.

man bash | grep -A32 "Any character"

And yes, desktop GNU/Linux is just around the corner :-)

UNIX Services for Windows

[AstroDrabb]

It seems odd that MS would hand out CD's of UNIX Services for Windows at a Linux show. Not that long ago MS was saying how the GPL is a "cancer" and yet they include GPL'ed software in their UNIX Services for Windows. I guess the GPL is OK if it helps the bottom line of MS and a "cancer" if it is any competition to them?