Newbies find a little help at LinuxWorld
Conference and Expo
Computers just too damn hard to use, says Linus
Summary
For those who weren't already convinced that Linux has become the Next Big
Thing, the LinuxWorld Conference and Expo in New York erased all doubt. John
Pancharian takes us on a tour of the LWCE's featured products and services for
new users. (800 words)
By John Pancharian
he third LinuxWorld show was not only larger and more heavily attended than the previous
two (both of which were held in San Jose last year), but it also attracted more dollars from
Wall Street and more support from industry giants like IBM, Compaq, and Dell.
The attendance increased, too. In fact, so many people came that IDG World Expo was not able
to estimate the size of the crowds -- take from that what you will. Linus Torvalds delivered his
keynote address before a huge crowd populated with more press than his address at Comdex
drew -- this at a Linux-only show.
"Wall Street's strong interest in the Linux community is reflected in the demographics we are seeing
for the New York event," said Charlie Greco, president and CEO of IDG World Expo in a press
release. "The strong presence of software developers and IT management supports the trend of
companies adopting Linux as their operating system of choice."
But companies aren't the only ones adopting our favorite OS -- regular users are flocking to Linux,
too.
The market's fastest-growing OS promises a stampede of new Linux users across the dot-com
plains. So you'd think that vendors of Linux and open source software would be ready to greet the
massive influx with products and services geared to the eager but inexperienced user.
Nope. More than 150 vendors were at the expo, ranging from the major distros to upstart
companies aimed at vertical markets, but only a handful of exhibitors seemed targeted specifically
to the new Linux user.
This lack of interest is particularly strange because it has been no secret that wider acceptance is
coming, nor that Linux needs to improve its newbie-friendliness.
In his keynote, Linus himself said technology is only as good as the user experience. He added that
most of the desktop work for the 2.4 kernel is in the user space. "What we've found is that
computers are just too damn hard to use," he said.
It remains to be seen how far product demand will outstrip the market's supply of newbie-friendly
software and services, but a few forward-looking companies showed wares that address this
market. A few interesting examples follow (see the Resources section for company links).
SAIR (Software Architecture Implementation and Realization)
A Linux certification service, SAIR offers Linux training and three certification exams.
SAIR's board of advisers includes such community luminaries as Eric Raymond, the author
of The Cathedral and the Bazaar and The Magic Cauldron; Richard Stallman, the
founder of the Free Software Foundation; Jon "Maddog" Hall of Linux International; and
Debian developer and licensing guru Bruce Perens.
SAIR's programs have enjoyed great initial popularity. Asked whether the demand for new
Linux deployment would outpace the training of Linux professionals, SAIR founder Tobin
Maginnis responded, "That's really an unanwerable question," but he added that products
for new converts was clearly a neglected market.
LPI (Linux Professional Institute)
Another training and certification outfit, LPI also offers certification exams and training
courses. Though SAIR was first to market, LPI has the distinction of nonprofit status.It has
also been an open project from the outset, involving community volunteers in many areas of
its development and operation.
ASL
A hardware vendor positioning itself as the place to go for superior performance in systems
preloaded with Linux, ALS's offerings run the gamut from laptops to desktops to servers.
"The whole setup is preinstalled. All [a new user] has to do is follow instructions," said
Janine Le, chief operating officer. She said that ASL has been selling Linux-loaded systems
for more than five years and that it offers two years of telephone- and email-based technical
support.
linuxnewbie.org
This Website -- acquired by Internet.com, the parent company of Linux Today, during
Expo week -- describes itself thus: "Linuxnewbie.org is 'the place' for people that are
transitioning to Linux from Windows and are having a hard time learning how to operate,
install, and getting [sic] around the OS." The site includes chat, "newbieized" documentation,
news, and archives. Founder Jason Brienstein said the majority of the site's 3,300 members
are actually intermediate to advanced users who help neophytes make a comfortable
transition to Linux.
NetMAX
Purveyors of network appliance software that turns any Pentium box into a Linux thin server
without requiring great expertise on the part of the user, NetMAX offers Web server, file
server, and firewall products.
NetMAX also gets a gold star for pricing each appliance kit at a Linux-like $99 ($499 for a
professional version that includes all three kits along with a few bells and whistles).
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