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Comdex

Linus to give COMDEX Keynote 38

If you ever questioned if Linux was going to hit the mainstream or not, this proves it. Linus will be giving a keynote at the April 19th COMDEX in Chicago. Hrm. Only 3 hours from home. Practically a stones throw from here. Wonder if I should crash. Update: 02/17 01:15 by CT : This is actually the Linux Pavillion Keynote at COMDEX. Not quite the whole deal. I said "a" keynote, not "the" keynote *grin*.
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Linus to give COMDEX Keynote

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  • by Anonymous Coward
    Gates is one of the two keynotes at Comdex.
    Linus is keynote at a satellite Linux conference
    that's concurrent w/ Comdex, but not a keynote
    speaker at Comdex itself.
  • hehehe Linux wasn't even mentioned at comidex 2 years ago and now linux is the keynote . hehe This is great! BIll Gates has to share the stand with linux. I am sure this incident scares the hell out of ms and Gates. JBerst will finally have better linux coverage after this. He likes linux's technical aspects but he is not a fud maker but rather a political guy. This should change everyone
  • by Anonymous Coward
    Due to growing popularity of Linux in the business market, Comdex has added a Linux Global Summit. They also have added a Java University for much the same reason. However, the Linux International Partner Pavilion is not new to Comdex. Last year's Li Partner Pavilion included RedHat, SuSE, Caldera, and Linux Journal (Walnut Creek decided to get a booth on the Windows World side). Btw, the RedHat CD give-away sessions resulted in lines of over 200 people.

    But beyond the exhibitors of Li Partner Pavilion, the Linux Global Summit will provide a series of conferences to attend about Linux. The keynote given by Linus will be $free$ to all as will the User Group Meetings. The other conferences will require paying an extra fee (I am not sure if Linux Global Summit Reception or the Plenary Session on The Future of Linux are free or not, maybe someone else will post more information here).

    Anyways, please keep in mind that the purpose of Linux International and Li Partner Pavilion is to act as Linux *advocacy*. This goal should not be confused with MS bashing. In the business market, the ability of Linux to operate in a largely NT/98 enviroment has been an important asset. If asked at Comdex about Linux, your probably doing more harm than good if your busy bashing MS rather than bring up the capablities that Samba and Apache extentions for FrontPage & ASP.

    Btw, as a side note, for those that think MS deserves some bashing, MS tends to do a better job of putting itself down that anyone else can. Last year's Gates keynote included demonstrating Win98's ability to support USB via Blue Screen of Death. Also, the walk way to Windows World had blasting "we can be heros, just for one day," which I assume refers to the average length of time that an NT domain structured around NT server would remain stable.

    But, we need as much support as we can get! Register for a guest pass which gets you free access to the exhibitors. Several companies make hardware that could work great with Linux if the companies would just take the time to support it. One example is that both APC and TrippLite make smart UPS and even software for SCO Unix to monitor the UPS. They haven't taken the time to port to Linux because they claim that there isn't enough interest in such a port. Show your support by letting companies like these know that availablity to support Linux is going to effect what hardware you purchase.
  • by drwiii ( 434 )
    Oh no!! Comdex is a major M$ gathering, not to mention that it's backed by the FUDmaster general: ZeeDeeNet!

    Hmmm.. Dvorak, Gates, and that buttmunch Jesse Berst in the same building.. I wonder what Linus is doing getting mixed up with those losers..

  • Linus tells us what Transmeta is *really* doing.
  • Posted by X-Calibre:

    They wipe out the competition.

  • All definitions of the word "keynote" I can find references something that is FIRST or CENTRAL. The idea that someone is giving "a" keynote implies that there are many keynotes and this is inaccurate.

    If he's keynoting a splinter Linux-COMDEX style event then that's fine, just say that but the fact is that Bill Gates is giving THE keynote address at COMDEX and Rick Roscitt from AT&T is giving the keynote address for "Windows World".

    Linus is giving the keynote for the "Linux Global Summit" which is a "two-day conference, held concurrently with COMDEX/Spring and WINDOWS WORLD". This is not COMDEX itself, simply a concurrent event.

    I guess slashdot is learning it's better to "spin" a story to their own favor just like other main stream media organizations rather than tell it how it really is and let the reader decide. Oh well.
    -----

    Only 28% of slashdot readers use Linux or *nix, while 54% of them use Windows. How ironic.

  • Rob has even updated this story to more accurately show what Linus' real role is at COMDEX in Chicago.

    Do you still need me to explain the "spin" that Rob has explained himself with his update?
    -----

    Only 28% of slashdot readers use Linux or *nix, while 54% of them use Windows. How ironic.

  • It's frustrating to see that Linus will be giving a keynote presentation, but have no inkling what that presentation will address.

    Their page setup stinks, too - click "keynote" and it takes you to a short page listing Linus's name, where you click "Linus Torvalds" it takes you back to the "keynote" page... argh!

  • by mackga ( 990 )
    Regardless of the sponsorship, this should be good. Various penguins floating around, intimidating the windows reps, the usual ms spiel fudders looking over their collective shoulders just in case a Linux person is in the crowd, ready to point out the latest, uh, fanatasy from the redmond pr machine. Heh. Maybe there will be some sort of implosion. BTW, Rob, the bg banner ad really scares me!
  • Linus: Greetings and welcome people of earth. Bow down to your new master. Hail World Domination. Hail our black and white master. Hail to fish eating creatures of the cold!

    Linus: Resitance is Futile. You will become one of us. Microsoft is Irrelevant. Price is Irrelevant. The DOJ is irrelevant.

    ...my spelling is irrelevant....

    ...I cleaned up the root partition and now there's LOTS of free space!
  • I just signed up for the event...
    Maybe we can get some penguin event going there..
    Everyone bring their penguins!

    =)

    This time, let's be presentable.. but with penguins.. =)

    ChiefArcher

    (Maybe I'll get a website going for people that are going to be there... Suggestions? Comments? )
  • I put a website for the Comdex Linus Keynote.
    I'm trying to figure out how many people are going, and if we can
    get a groupy thing going there.

    http://expert.cc.purdue.edu/~bgannon [purdue.edu] is the website.

    Thanks,
    ChiefArcher
  • ...he should show up in a Mr Spock costume ala
    Bill Gates. :)
  • So, does anyone know if there are student discounts available? I checked the page, and there was no mention of it.

    Argh, I have enough problems finding food, let alone $1,000 for COMDEX.

    Josh
  • by aphr0 ( 7423 )
    How many times must there be a "looks like linux/linus has hit the mainstream!" comment? Yes, it's mainstream. Get over it.
  • Now I have to go to Comdex!!!!
  • Of course, the "whole enchilada" keynote speaker is Bill Gates. What an interesting bash this is turning out on being....

    _Deirdre
  • $1000 to get into Comdex? They've been inviting me for the past 3 years for free, and I can never go, finals week and all.
  • Linux was at Fall Comdex '96 (Las Vegas)... you just had to look hard enough. I remember back then walking by some company trying to sell a set top web surfing box running netscape and going, "Hey isn't that thing running linux?" To which the engineer's eyes lit up like a 4 year old at Christmas and he started to show me how he rigged everything to run from a EPROM setup and how it was timed to work with the TV and everything.

    It was pretty cool. That and the Infomagic booth.

    Viva Las Vegas
  • Go see Gates give his dog -n- pony. I'll
    be at the Linux Global Summit.

    I don't think Bill would be near as offended as
    you were.

    Lighten up.
  • I got your point LOUD -n- KLEER.

    One small problem though, there is a big
    difference between fluffy hype and being
    truly excited. Rob's point was that Linux
    is moving into the main stream, and that
    Linus would give A keynote, not THE keynote.

    I still think your first message was a bit
    strong, give the guy a break.
  • by jarod ( 15787 )
    Its good to live in Chicago... ; )
  • The Comdex Exhibit Guest Pass (Probably marked as $100 on the website) always has Free registration forms in the major Ziff-Davis publications (PC Weak, PC Magize etc) And once you fill one of these guys out you start getting them in the mail, I figure I get 50+ Comdex books a year I have 4 for the Comdex Spring 99 sitting next to me.

    If you don't get PC Weak, (which they also give out free subscriptions for) you can always harass your friends who work at companies that are attending (not exhibiting, just attending), they are likley have an extra pass or ten to give you.

    The guest pass unfortunately doe not give you access to the "Linux Global Summit" thats $195 more.


  • Ok, I think people are getting the wrong idea about COMDEX. This is a really good conference. COMDEX is put on by a company that does these things globally. There is COMDEX in Canada, France and others. There are companies for everything there from IBM to Apple to Red Hat etc.. I have been to the last few of these and they are a lot of fun. I have a group of a few people who are going.(we live an hour from downtown) If you are interested in joining this escapade, e-mail me. I could probably have a few people crash at my house if necessary. Windows World is a seperate part of COMDEX. Since M$ has too much cash, they blow it on taking over a huge chunk of the expo, but from past experiences, it's in a seperate building all together and you pay an extra fee to get into it. If you want to get free expo passes for COMDEX, to see the expo and not keynotes/Windows World/ LINUX Pavilion go to www.comdex.com and use the registration code mb. LINUX Pavilion is like $200 extra for everything including keynotes and, as mentioned by others, there are givaways galore. If you can't fill a backpack, you didn't try. The keynotes are presentations and discussions. Don't read too much into the word "keynote" cause everyone who gets to do a private presentation outside of the expo is a "keynote." Bill is just as "keynote" as Linus. Anyway, e-mail me if you want to go, cause I'm going to get a nice list started. These things are always more fun with a bunch of other people with simmilar interests. (btw, that $200 is cheap for something like this and the cash goes to pay COMDEX expenses, so don't think you are paying M$ or something)
    Dissenter
  • There's no way Bill would let them schedule them at the same time because he knows that nobody would show up at his. I mean even if your're just a normal mainstream media person, you probably rather see Linus for the first time than Bill Gates for the 10th, right? Well I know I would.
  • When will Rob be the keynote speaker?
  • Can linus slay the mighty MS Whale. Lets hope so!
  • Perhaps we sould campaign for Linus's contribution to be considered 'THE' keynote?

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