The Interact + PC IT '99 Linux Pavilion -- How it all went

"The Interact + PC IT shows are the largest IT industry events in Australia, regularly pulling in crowds of over 40,000. As such, this was a prime event and an excellent opportunity for us to demonstrate Linux to the great majority of non-Linux using PC users. By everyone's impression it was a wonderfully succesful event, and a great example of what can be achieved (with a little effort) for Linux advocacy..."

"Some things were plainly obvious from our presence at the PC IT show. Linux, and the Linux community engender a substantial amount of goodwill from the computer industry. By the first afternoon of setting up, we had lost track of how many firms showed up on our 'doorstep' to offer free hardware, encouragement and support. Throughout the day, we had amassed so much new hardware, that we had to turn suppliers away, as we had run out of bench space..."

"Also popular was the display of flashy desktops on Gnome and KDE. StarOffice 5.1 was also very impressive, and people were amazed at how close it could be made to look like MS-Office 97. Both Blender and The GIMP generated numerous 'oohhs' and 'aahhs'. But perhaps the most popular 'exhibit' was the semi-regular installs of Mandrake/Red Hat. People were very keen to see exactly how easy Linux was to install."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• FairfaxIT: LUV conquers all(Sep 07, 1999)
• APC Newswire: Linux pulls in the crowds(Sep 03, 1999)
• Linux product wins 'Best of Show' at PCIT '99(Sep 02, 1999)
• Linux's Big Break Downunder(Aug 05, 1999)
• PC-IT + Interact '99, Melbourne: LUV presence at Linux Pavilion(Aug 24, 1999)