OfB.biz: The State of GNU/Linux in 2002: It was Good

“This year has proven most interesting for GNU/Linux. While
there were not any amazing surprises, there were numerous events
that are noteworthy for review. The upshot to all of this is that
most of what happened was good overall for the Free Software
community.

“One of the most notable events for Linux this year came early
in March when Sharp Electronics started marketing the first
mainstream GNU/Linux PDA. The Zaurus, which premiered at $500,
started off by appearing in electronics stores across the United
States, including Best Buy and Office Depot. While by the end of
August, Best Buy had cleared out their stock; Office Depot seems to
be sticking around for the long haul.

“The Zaurus seems to have fulfilled the promise of a powerful
GNU/Linux PDA, attracting interest from a wide array of pundits and
purchasers alike. In fact, yours truly is writing on the said
device right now. On a side note, the Zaurus SL-5500, which will be
replaced with the 5600 in early 2003, won the best Innovation award
in the Open for Business Open Choice awards in July…”

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