The Last LinuxWorld Expo?

Technocrat

The Last LinuxWorld Expo?

Bruce Perens

Wed Aug 06 15:03:00 -0700 2008

Open+Source+Software

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Linuxworld Expo is going on in San Francisco today. There are 189 companies and organizations exhibiting on the show floor. And that is including the free tables for non-profit organizations, of which there are about 20 present, and where much of the interest by attendees seemed to be. It's a pretty pitiful exhibitor floor and the rest of the conference appears to be really small, too. This show is at the level that the Boston show reached when I (correctly) forecast its demise.

The funny thing is that this is happening at a time when Linux and Open Source have tons of news and business buy-in, and more news every day. Open Source is poised to take over mobile computing with huge initiatives from Google, Nokia, Symbian, and others. But they aren't at LinuxWorld, and the OSCON show, which went on a few weeks ago, wasn't that big either.

Trade shows worldwide are doing poorly. The web has taken over their function, to a great extent. Fuel prices and economic downturn aren't helping either. And Open Source is so mainstream now that a show concerning Linux is redundant with other IT shows. Of late it's seemed more like a virtualization and data-center show than a Linux show.

Community folks on the show floor are asking: Why do we need IDG, the operator of this moribund show? Rather than focus on the business of Open Source, why not focus on the Open Source projects, and other forms of collaboration like Wikipedia, Creative commons, etc? It's time for a community show to replace the commercial ones.

The Last LinuxWorld Expo?

Nathan Smith

Wed Aug 06 16:20:00 -0700 2008
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One idea I have seen for the past few years is the "blog conference." You have plenary posts by various presenters and response posts if appropriate. Then make sure comments are enabled. It facilitates a good amount of discussion.

Real-world conferences are good too, though. Nothing matches face-to-face meetings. Plus, they are great for key signing. :-)

It's time for a community show to replace the commercial ones.

lars

Thu Aug 07 03:19:26 -0700 2008
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Before we give up on the current show, maybe next year it could be in Vancouver, Toronto, Windsor or even Iceland or Jamaica.

Part of the reason that the business side is moribund is the choice of venue. Move it up to Vancouver if it must be on the West Coast, but business just is not done it the US anymore thanks to DHS. Few are going to risk the loss of electronic equipment at the border just for a trade show, on top of the insults and indignities mostly unique to entering the US these days.

Also, the sponsor, IDG, does not yet have such a good name in business or FOSS publications. I tend to associate IDG with anti-technology mouthpieces. There are of course always exceptions, but they're just that, exceptions.

A community show would be great, but I can't see anything in the near future overcoming the fuel prices and the general shittiness of today's air travel process. Maybe more of an emphasis on web-casting (via Ogg Theora) would help.

The Last LinuxWorld Expo?

ScrappyLaptop

Thu Aug 07 09:38:51 -0700 2008
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I think the idea of having a Linux Business Conference has become akin to having a Ford Auto Show. It's an odd venue. Linux-based products now compete in the universe of business products and that is where companies are getting the bang for the floor space buck; at the regular corporate trade shows.

I went to the early LinuxWorld's in SF, back when most of the attendees were enthusiasts and the idea of that many users and admins under the same roof as the fledgling companies and .org representatives was pretty heady stuff. It felt like I attending the largest LUG ever! Later, most were still enthusiasts, but we were now enthusiasts that had somehow convinced our companies to try out this crazy "Open Source" product and futher convinced them to let us attend on company time. I've skipped it the last three or four years. The magic is gone, the feel is now that of a very sad trade show. Please don't tell me they have "booth babes" with fake penguin tatoos now, or I'll cry. And I *like* booth babes with penguin tatoos.

The best indicator that I have to see what has changed is to look back at the old brochures and read through the speakers' topics. Early on, the speakers were mostly coders. The folks that had actually written some of the various modules and still knew the code. The "how-to's" were highly technical. Then, the speakers shifted to the early CEO's (that still knew how to code) of Linux-based companies showing that there *was* a buisiness model to be had. Now, the keynote and other speakers seem like marketing vp's...

Perhaps it is time for LinuxWorld to quietly fade away. It's had a good run, but now if the need arises perhaps another, similar to the early ones, will rise up but I doubt it. It had it's place in time.