The Comdexification of Linux

Right on the heels of O'Reilly's OSCON show in Portland we have IDG's Linuxworld in San Francisco.

The show is due to attract over 11,000, writes our own Stephen Shankland.

But it's not just for Linux anymore.

Instead it's becoming a show for "early adopters," in the words of one exhibitor Shankland interviewed.

To my mind, it's becoming Comdex.

Back in the day that's just what Comdex was. It was where new technology got its first big try-out, where the media and corporate buyers would see all the latest gizmos side-by-side. You had to be there, whether you liked it or not. And a lot didn't. Even Las Vegas was famously of two minds about the show. They liked the crowd, but hated how "real" gamblers (those who used the tables) were crowded out by these "phony" gamblers (who were just betting their futures and sometimes their houses).

I'm among the first to say that open source means more than Linux. And I can't blame a show organizer for wanting to make money, for striking while the brand is hot.

But is this a show you should be attending? Is this show really useful? Is this trip really necessary?

If you're there let me know.