Panelists gather at PC Forum 2006

RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser is one of many high-profile attendees at this year's PC Forum in Carlsbad, Calif.

Barry Schwartz, author of "The Paradox of Choice: Why Less is More," discussed the implications of having greater freedom and more choices than we know what to do with.

Esther Dyson, editor of Release 1.0 and host of PC Forum, looms over the audience. (Release 1.0 is owned by CNET Networks, which also owns News.com.)

Esther Dyson interviews Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, about creating businesses that improve the quality of life.

Caryn Marooney of Outcast and Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff chat at PC Forum 2006. The theme this year is "Erosion of Power: Users in charge."

Friendly competitors Zach Nelson, CEO of NetSuite, and Marc Benioff of Salesforce.com chat at the 2006 PC Forum in Carlsbad, Calif. Topics this year center on offering consumers more control and greater choice.

VCs talk Web 2.0--SoftTech Venture Consulting's Jeff Clavier and Alta Partners' Robert Simon.

An abundance of choices--Swarthmore professor Barry Schwartz, Linden Lab's Philip Rosedale, Rediff.com's Ajit Balakrishnan, and Release 1.0's Esther Dyson.

Food and talk after the afternoon sessions. PC Forum puts a focus on users taking charge through tech--and on ways businesses can profit.