CeBIT America 2003 show preview

6
– by Daniel P. Dern
If not center stage, Linux and Open Source software certainly
occupy a credible place within the upcoming CeBIT America 2003conference and
exhibition taking place at New York City’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center,
reflecting the growing acceptance and use of Linux and Open Source
as enterprise-worthy technology. Here’s an overview of Linux and Open
Source-related sessions and exhibits slated to be at CeBIT
America 2003.

CeBIT’s Linux/Open Source offerings are not huge, to be sure —
eight or nine sessions throughout the program, and a small number of
booths (plus, presumably, some Linux/Open Source within other
exhibitors). But on the other hand, there are fewer
instances of “Microsoft” and “Windows” in the programs than one might
expect.

CeBIT America 2003 is the first U.S.-based show by Hanover Fairs,
best known for their Comdex-dwarfing eight-day CeBIT mega-show held each spring in Hanover,
Germany.The new CeBIT America 2003 show, the company’s first full-scale event in
the United States, is taking over the mid-June Javits time slot
previously occupied by CMP Media’s TechXNY, formerly known as and incorporating
PC Expo. (That show is now re-scheduled to September 15-18). While PC Expo was a
great place to see the spring line of upcoming products, it was often a
bottom-up mish-mosh of technologies and audiences. CeBIT America has an
explicitly enterprise computing focus, aiming at business decision-makers, IT
managers and professionals, and developers.

Linux in session

Linux and Open Source are part of half a dozen or more
sessions across several programs.

In the IT Manager
Program
:

In IT Executive Conference
Program
:

  • OS Migration: Beating a Path to Linux’s Door? (Wednesday, 11:15 –
    12:15)

And in the Developer Conference
Program
(note, the two following sessions conflict):

  • Linux Initiatives in the
    Enterprise: Open Season for Open Source Development Tools (Wednesday, 11:15 –
    12:15)
  • Know Your Enemy: Using Honeypots and Other Hacker-Tracking Tools
    (Wednesday, 11:15 – 12:15) While not Linux or Open Source per se, tools
    they talk about will include Linux/OSS ones.

In
Novell Best of BrainShare at CeBIT America
,
Linux-related sessions are:

  • Integrating Linux and Novell
    Solutions (Thursday, 1:00 – 2:15)
  • Implementing NetWare, Windows, and Linux Server Management with ZENworks for
    Servers 3 (Thursday, 2:30pm – 3:45pm)

Linux on the show floor

While you have a choice of interesting sessions to attend, you may have a
harder time finding penguins on the show floor. “We had hoped to have a formal
Linux pavilion, but the timing wasn’t right for the Linux community,” says
CeBIT’s Bill Sell.

Exhibitors likely to have Linux in their booths include Intel, Novell,
Oracle, SuSE, and Wild Open Source, possibly also NEC Solutions America, and the
Sun iForce Partner Pavilion. European vendors Alaris Informationsmanagement (Booth 3433) and Pyramid Computer Systeme (Booth
2633) will also offer Linux products or services.

Daniel P. Dern is a freelance
technology writer.

Category:

  • Open Source