CNET News: Dustup Hits Desktop Linux Confab

“Hewlett-Packard and other participants have withdrawn from a
February conference on the use of Linux on desktop computers,
casting a shadow on the show’s debut.

“At the root of the spat are objections to the main sponsor’s
prominence in the Desktop Linux Summit. News site DesktopLinux.com
had been a sponsor, and open-source advocate Bruce Perens was
scheduled to deliver the show’s opening keynote speech. But both
pulled out after the conference’s sponsor and organizer Lindows
decided its chief executive, Michael Robertson, would give the
first talk…

“An HP representative confirmed Friday that the company had
withdrawn from the conference. Sun Microsystems, another big-name
exhibitor, appeared on an earlier exhibitor list, but its name
isn’t on the current lineup. A Sun representative couldn’t
immediately confirm that it had withdrawn…”

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