The Pre Linuxworld Expo in SF Post

Its getting to be that time of the year again. People are booking rooms in San Francisco, packing up suitcases, perhaps traveling at the behest of their company. They’re seeking out news of the Penguin in the wonnerful city by the Bay. They may travel long or short distance and if they’re exhibitors their feet will ache, time may crawl by, and other booths start looking interesting.

I’ve done my fair share of booth duties and doing a trade show is always interesting. You meet people that want to know what you do or just want to know what you are giving away. I think the doodads used to be better and more fun. I remember all kinds of interesting little things and big. When I worked at Linuxcare we gave away cars! And bug suckers. Big and small. Linuxcare knew how to package up show things. Perhaps the strangest and best was the “poster”. This was the so-called Simply Supported Poster with the “palm girl” holding a Redhat box on it. I remember handing them out to everyone that morning in North Carolina and then we got the cease and desist request. Redhat was not happy. And it was their show.

But it was too late. Everyone had seen it and wanted it. I handed out copies to friends at Suse and a few guys I knew in the support pit at Redhat.

The shows have paled in some regards and IDG seems to be able to do a massively mediocre job at promoting something as fun as Linux. Lets be clear and certain here. Linux is fun. Its fun because its not done yet and the people and companies and pundits that go know its not done. Trade shows must be unfinished too to gain acceptance. You cannot hustle off the .orgs to some other place, city, or floor. Big mistake and IDG gets another bad mark.

Yet still I will go. Why? Well this year I am meeting someone for a business meeting. I’m a SE Manager but I touch many things at Celestix. I get to play with lots of things in the course of a day. And I’m going to meet up with some friends, see other friends, hopefully see the oldtimers from those other halycon days.

Then we’ll wander for lunch and maybe a beer at the Thirsty Bear. That’s just what ya do. So if you are at the show, I’m there with ya. I show up for only a day this year on Wednesday. It will be fun and mediocre. But that’s the declining nature of the whole thing. Linux is changing and since its not done; no one knows what it will change into. I have some questions around evolution of it all. I’m unsure what it all means any longer and perhaps no one really knows and they’re along for the ride as well. That’s okay. It all works for me. I use it the way I want to use it and it works for me.