[SLUG] Linux Expo 2996 Olympia

[Martin Webb]

LinuxWorld Conference and Expo 2006

Working in London, I was able to visit the Linux Expo at Olympia, this 
morning.

Here are a few impressions:
- There was a marked difference between the businesses based on Linux 
(the preponderance of the exhibition), and the booths and activities 
which were concerned with the Linux Community.  There seemed to be a 
discrepancy in the underlying ethos of the men in dark blue suits, and 
the less formally clad women and men who were of a more co-operative 
turn of mind. Nevertheless, I much enjoyed talking to a representative 
of a Cambridge firm which has been involved with the IT side of research 
such as the Human Genome project. They had great big cupboards full of 
racks of interchangeable and hot-swappable terrabites of data: yum (and 
that's not Yellowdog Update Manager).
- I listened to the Ubuntu leader, Jono Bacon, speak about the future of 
Ubuntu. Communitaire ethos; new distro out tomorrow, carrying on where 
Dapper leaves off; ambition for a years time, after Edgy through to 
Feisty, I think he said, of a distro with “sheen and brilliance”, the 
best for hardware drivers.  I didn't know they called the first 
distribution Warty because they thought it would have plenty of warts 
(i.e. bugs).  They were surprised when it turned out to be pretty stable.
- I listened to bits of other free presentations, but was not as 
interested as in the Ubuntu one.
- The big, expensive, conference set pieces I gave a miss.  £80?  Nah.
- Talked for some time to the people from the Linux Professional 
Institute, who confirmed what we already know about LPI.  They said that 
IBM's tutorials on the net are as good as anything available in book form.

Main conclusions:
- Nothing surprising, or of which we do not already have an inkling.
- Quite confirmatory of what we already know, think, do – which is 
pleasant (and confirming).
- Worth 50 minutes on the underground, and waiting 20 mins for a train 
from Earl's Court to Olympia.
- But only worth the trip from Scarborough if you really wanted an early 
start, an expensive outing, and a day or two in London (with the Expo as 
an interesting incidental).

Hope to see you on 6th Nov
Martin