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PC Expo '99 Coverage

Posted by Hemos on from the rolling-it-up dept.

Reporting live from New York's Javits, Ars Technica has gone the latest round of coverage, with info about Quake III and BeOS, amongst others , including Simcity 3000 on Be, along with the sorry state of the Linux "pavilion". That's one of those down sides - the Linux shows themselves are usually pretty rocking, but outside of that turf, the showcasing is pretty lacking - preaching to the choir situation.

2 of 27 comments (clear)

  1. Why did the Linux Pavillion Suck? by chris · · Score: 2
    Contrary to the other posts (ie trolls), I think you will find the reason the Linux Companies have the larger presenses at shows like LWCE or ALS is that they can get more bang for their buck. Linux companies like RedHat, VA, etc are more likely to sell to Linux people that to the folks at a PC Expo.

    Also, there are a lot of computer shows around, Comdex, Interop, PC expo, beyond the Linux shows. Most companies probably don't have the resources to do to all of them. Even with RedHat IPOing, they still don't have the resources of an Oracle or IBM to hit every major show they would want to sell at. What might be a better idea is if the Linux companies pooled their resources under say Linux International, and sent one rep from each company to sell the Idea of Linux. Then they can be sold on VA or RedHat or SuSE.

    Finally, If the audience of PC Expo is IT professionals, then maybe a less glitzy presence is what they want. Selling to the Linux Community is different than selling to the Suits, even if there is some cross over at both kinds of shows.

    Chris

    I'm not speaking for any Linux Comapnies or any Linux shows here. Just tossing out stuff to think about.
    --
    3rd Annual Atlanta Linux Showcase

    --
    -- www.primeharbor.com
    1. Re:Why did the Linux Pavillion Suck? by Caesar · · Score: 2

      Yes, I would've thought that one would want a different sell-approach to the IT professional crowd, but the sad (*and strange) fact of the matter is that the glitzy, big booths get all of the attention.

      I talked to a few random people (I was going to compile an interview), and I've comer to realize that many of the suits are true busines-types: that is, they gague the success of something by its outward appearance. This is to say that some of the people I talked to assumed that Linux was still small and minor, mostly because the Linux pavillion was small and minor.

      Short-sighted, I know.