“The Linux community and its suppliers gather this week to view
the latest wares at the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo at the Jacob
Javits Center overlooking the Hudson River in New York. At the
show, the Linux story will continue to be told as a tale of two
platforms, with movement on the server side continuing to outpace
desktop advances. Many of the key additions to the new Linux 4.2
kernel play to the server crowd, and the kernel is thus likely to
be near the center of attention.”
“As major Linux software efforts can be divided into desktop
and server camps, suppliers can likewise be placed in two broad
categories: specialty Linux startups, and established vendors that
have just recently caught the Linux bug. The former group is under
pressure to demonstrate that open source enthusiasm can translate
into profitable businesses. The latter group, which can shield its
Linux software ramp-up costs under a wider umbrella, has the means
to garner attention at the show, and much of this group’s activity
will be server-related.”
“IBM chair and chief executive Lou Gerstner vowed last month to
invest nearly $1 billion in Linux development. His company will
again seek at this show to mark itself as the champion of things
Linux. Other big computer vendors, including Hewlett-Packard,
Compaq, Dell, and Unisys, will try to catch some of that fire. Most
have formalized their Linux efforts in recent months, forming
Linux-specialist offices and such, and they will work on plans and
new alliances right up to show time.”