ZDNet: Oh say can you CeBIT?

“Few people would have the inclination — or the legs — to walk
the equivalent of a few dozen crowded Moscone Centers, but your
humble scribe did his level best, looking among the more than 8,000
exhibiting vendors to see just how mainstream Linux and open source
software has become. Unlike most recent Comdex shows in which Linux
was a sideshow, or Linux-only events which attract mainly the
already-faithful, CeBIT offers a haven for Linux folk while
providing maximum exposure to the public.”

“To me, CeBIT handled the Linux presence just right. Linux was
nicely scattered throughout the show. I saw only a few buildings —
mainly the telecom and banking system ones — that didn’t have at
least one plush penguin prominently displayed somewhere. Most of
the conventional Linux vendors, as well as Linux International,
were in Hall three in a Linux pavilion. A smaller grouping was in
hall six, and those who could afford it had their own booths.”

“A number of companies not thought of as Linux vendors used
penguins to proclaim their support. The German applications giant
SAP had a large penguin staring across an aisle toward the massive
Microsoft display, and at least a few people I saw snickered as
they walked by.”

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